CoHW 2- The Legacy of Secrets
by Benedict Dragonpatch
Summary: Nearly two years have passed since Halo and his friends saved Hogwarts from total destruction, and a new threat emerges that could threaten the whole wizarding world. Will the very thing that has kept them safe for hundreds of years ultimately lead to their downfall? NEXT-GEN
1. Chapter 1

Dear Reader,

Welcome! This is the second instalment of what I suppose should be called an unofficial sequel series to Harry Potter. If you read my first story, _The Chronicle of Halo Wiggins,_ (might rename it at some point, but for now the name stays) welcome back! If you did not, I suggest that you read the first story, as well as the _Paralogues_ that can be found on my author page, before you start reading this. You do not have to, of course, and I will try to make this story understandable in its own right without reading the first one, but I am a completionist myself, and could never bring myself to start reading the second part of a story without reading the first part. _But enough of that,_ I hear you say, _Let's get to the story._ Very well, dear reader, your wish is my command. Without further ado, I present:

The Chronicle of Halo Wiggins Part II- The Legacy of Secrets

Chapter 1 Keep an Open Mind

A single news story dominated headlines across Britain, indeed across the entire world, in the third week of July, 2019. The largest manhunt in British history—a search that had led to the resignation of four senior MI5 officials, two Home Secretaries and one Prime Minister for their failure to produce results—finally came to a close. In the early morning hours of Thursday, July 18th, the members of the infamous Red Tide terrorist group, which had carried out 6 attacks from June to December, 2017 before seemingly disappearing into thin air and evading capture for two years, were arrested trying to flee the country on a plane bound for Venezuela.

By midday Thursday, the Prime Minister had addressed the nation, praising law enforcement for their hard work and reminding everyone, not so subtly, of the previous regime's failure to capture these dangerous criminals. An hour later, the opposition released a statement criticizing the way the current government had carried out the operation and reminding the nation and the world, not so subtly, that the capture of these terrorists would not have been possible without the countless hours the previous administration had spent collecting intelligence.

The political sparring occupied tabloids and talk shows for the rest of the day, but by Friday a new question had emerged. Where had the Red Tide members been taken? There had been no information about them since their arrest Thursday morning, and the British government was refusing to release any more details. Prominent members of the opposition expressed their outrage, on behalf of the people, of course, and numerous TV personalities decried this blatant abuse of power. The public, they all said, had a right to know where these madmen and murders were being held.

The British government did not agree, and hour after hour, day after day, no new information was released. By Sunday, outrage had given way to rampant speculation. The terrorists had been sent to a top-secret detention facility in Poland, claimed one anonymous source. No, it was a prison facility in western Ukraine, run by a former KGB operative with personal ties to the Prime Minister, claimed a different yet just as anonymous source. Or, speculated another, were the terrorists perhaps being held in a secret location in London, only a few blocks away from where your children go to school? Stay tuned to find out. They had been killed, they had been set free, they had been tortured. Every analyst chose the scenario they liked best and ran with it. As the identity of the criminals had never been revealed, there was even more to speculate about. Some claimed they were former military, upset with the direction the country was heading. Some were sure they must be Muslim extremists, trying to bring down the western world. A few claimed they were Chinese operatives, sent by their government to cripple rival countries. Half an hour was devoted to each and every opinion, no matter how ludicrous or absurd. There are, after all, twenty-four hours in the day, and they all have to be filled with news somehow.

The true location, which none of the anonymous sources ever mentioned, was a nondescript warehouse outside London, many miles from the nearest school. It was the kind of place one could drive past a hundred times and never notice, which was why it had been chosen. Two bored security guards patrolled the perimeter, unaware that the seven most wanted criminals in Britain were being held in a special detention facility hidden below them. Their vigilance, or rather lack thereof, was hardly necessary. The facility below the warehouse had been specially designed with the latest in surveillance technology, and it did not rely on two retired bobbies for anything more than scaring away bored teenagers.

Several floors below the "empty" warehouse, two men stood in a crowded, noisy office, facing a dozen computer monitors.

"Just look at them," sneered Detective Matthew Upshaw, moustache bristling with indignation. "These are the fellows who had the whole nation quaking in their boots? Layabouts and degenerates, if you ask me. The whole lot of them look like we dragged them out of their mother's basement!"

MI5 Special Investigator Edward Harris said nothing, but privately he agreed with the detective. The seven young people on the screens, five men and two women, looked more like a college book club than a terrorist group responsible for the deaths of nearly 100 people. The thought made him slightly sick, and he turned away from the screen, pulling out a cigarette as he did.

"Oi," called a young man from the far side of the room, where a group of analysts sat in front of computers trying to positively ID the suspects. "This building is non-smoking."

Edward bristled internally at the _boy's_ flippant tone towards an elder, but he nodded, smiled faintly, and put the cigarette away without comment. Calm, cool, collected.

"Whole bloody country is _non-smoking_ now," Detective Upshaw said with a grunt. "It's not like it was in the good old days, eh?"

Edward was clearly meant to agree, so he gave a little nod of his head and murmured something noncommittal. That seemed to satisfy the detective, who went back to glaring at the degenerate youths on the screens.

Minutes passed in silence, until at last head analyst Maureen Sinclair came over to join the two men by the monitors.

"Our preliminary report is nearly complete," she announced and, without asking for Edward's permission, began summarizing in her trademark terse manner. "As you know, we tracked these seven down using their computers and cell phones, and their identities were never fully known. So far, we have managed to ID five members of the organization, the two young women and three of the men."

"What do we know about them?" Edward asked turning away from the screens for the first time in what seemed like hours to face her.

"They are all of a similar age, ranging from 23 to 27. They were all born here in England, though one of the young men has a mother born in Macedonia, and one of the young lady's parents were originally from Sri Lanka. None of them had a prior criminal history, except for one case of shoplifting by one of the young ladies and one minor case of arson involving two of the young men that was thrown out by the judge."

"Minor arson?" Edward asked sceptically.

"Yes," replied Maureen in her brusque monotone, "the two in question were accused of setting fire to an abandoned building, but there was no hard evidence that tied them to the crime. No one was hurt, and the building was demolished the following week."

The summary continued, but most of it was unspectacular. If anything, they seemed to have had fairly normal upbringings, hardly different from his own, once upon a time. Privately, Edward wondered how seven boys and girls, hardly older than children, went from burning empty buildings to murdering dozens of innocent people, but he kept those thoughts to himself.

"At this stage," Maureen said at length, concluding her summary, "it seems very unlikely that they have ties to any foreign terror groups."

Detective Upshaw scowled, likely unwilling to give up on that favourite theory of his just yet, but Edward nodded. It was dangerous to form opinions before all the information was known, it led an investigator to look only for certain truths, not the truth as a whole. Edward had seen it happen too many times, so he always tried to keep an open mind as best he could.

"The higher ups are going to want answers soon, and I'm not sure how much we can learn by digging around in their past. I think we should begin interviewing them, one at a time," Edward said, glancing at Maureen to gauge her reaction. She gave him a tight-lipped frown, as if she couldn't see how _talking_ to the prisoners could possibly reveal something her computers could not, but she nodded.

"Where do you think we should begin, detective?" Edward asked, turning to Upshaw. The tall man scowled yet again and smoothed his moustache, thinking. He had a reputation for being one of the finest detectives at Scotland Yard, but Edward personally didn't see it. Naturally, he tried not to judge too quickly, but it wasn't always easy.

"That one," Detective Upshaw said, pointing to a reedy-looking youth who kept glancing around him, even though there was nothing to look at in his bare cell.

"Henry Bradford," Maureen supplied tonelessly. "A good choice. Twenty-six, originally from the Greater Manchester Area. His parents are-"

"Yes, yes," Upshaw said, waving a dismissive hand. "That's all well and good, but that's not why I chose him. Look at the bugger; look at his beady little eyes. He looks like a rat caught in a trap. He'll be the first to squeal."

Edward nodded his agreement. Perhaps the detective deserved his reputation after all; or perhaps not. Best to keep an open mind.

"Inform headquarters that the detective and I are about to begin our interrogations," Edward announced to no one in particular, trusting that whoever had the responsibility of relaying messages back to MI5 would take care of it. "We are going to begin with-"

The doors behind Edward, which had remained closed for hours, opened suddenly, and over a dozen people filed in. Many of them wore identical grey suits, and all had the trademark smug air of people who thought they were in charge.

"Alright," the lead man said in an unmistakably American accent, "wrap it up, people. Thank you for all your hard work, but we will be taking it from here."

"Begging your pardon, but who the bloody hell do you think you are?" Detective Upshaw demanded, eyes popping as he stared at the newcomers. Edwards said nothing, but he was keen to know the answer as well.

"Casey Mathers," the American said, flashing a badge that Edward had never seen before. "As I said, our organization will be taking it from here."

"Your organization?" Upshaw sputtered. "What organization? Who are you people?"

"We are Aegis," replied a short, Asian woman in clear but unmistakably accented English. Edward thought she might be Chinese. "We are a global defence agency dedicated to protecting humanity from certain… threats."

"Aegis," Maureen repeated, her monotone not matching the intensity of her gaze. "I have never heard of any such thing. To my knowledge, there is no such thing as a global defence agency."

"Then your knowledge must be very incomplete," muttered a large man with a strong accent Edward could not place. Polish? Russian? It was definitely something Eastern European.

"Look," Upshaw said, getting heated, "I'm not about to turn this investigation over to a bunch of fucking foreigners-"

"Please, gentlemen, there is no need for this bickering," said a familiar voice. An older gentleman in a resplendent suit came forward, walking with the aid of an ivory-topped cane. Edward nearly gasped when he saw the man, and only years of practice controlling his emotions kept him silent. He _knew_ this man. His name was Basil Montgomery, the former head of MI5, and he was the one who had first hired Edward over ten years ago.

"M-Mr. Montgomery," Edward stammered, his usual composure vanishing.

"Ah, Edward my boy," Mr. Montgomery said cheerfully. "How wonderful to see you again. I am dreadfully sorry about all this, but I am going to have to ask you to leave." He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a document, handing it to Edward, who read it quickly. It was an order from headquarters, signed by none other than the Home Secretary, that clearly and unmistakably ordered him to turn the investigation over to this Aegis… whoever they were.

After passing the document to Maureen, who began studying it with intense interest, Edward stood there silently, looking around at all of the strangers, trying to figure it out. MI5 spent two years chasing after these terrorists, and suddenly the government wants to just give them up? For the Home Secretary to have signed something like this, that must mean the Prime Minister knew about this as well. If the order came from that high up, there really was nothing for it.

"We are turning this investigation over to Aegis," Edward announced. There was some muttering at this throughout the small office, particularly from Detective Upshaw, but they all moved to obey.

"I can brief you on what we have learned so far, if you wish," Maureen said to Mathers, the American.

"Thank you, but that's really not necessary," Mathers replied. "We have everything we need."

Edward and Detective Upshaw were the last to leave, and the latter would not have left at all had he not been talked into it by Edward.

"You clowns will be hearing from Scotland Yard about this," Upshaw said, trying to glare at everyone at once. "This isn't over."

"Yes," Mr. Montgomery replied with an unconcerned smile, "it is." With that, he gestured towards the door with his ivory-topped cane, and Edward and Upshaw had no choice but to leave.

Once they were through the door, Upshaw grabbed Edwards arm, spinning him around. "This stinks to high heaven, Harris, and you know it," he whispered urgently. "We spend two bloody years trying to catch those buggers, and now they won't even let us talk to them? We have to find out why!"

"How?" Edward asked sceptically. "They've got a signed order from the Home Secretary. There's nothing we can do."

"Look, you can run away with your tail between your legs if you want, but not me," Upshaw hissed. "I'm a bloody detective, and I'm going to get to the bottom of this one way or another." With that, he let go of Edward's arm and, with a level of stealth that surprised him, moved silently to the door, cracking it open just enough to hear. Edward glanced down the hallway where the others had gone, but made no move in that direction. Upshaw was right. None of this made any sense. If there really were some way to get answers… Slowly he crept forward, coming to stand beside the detective.

"- certain what we are dealing with," the Asian woman was saying inside the room, faint but clearly audible through the slightly open door.

"We are certain," Mathers replied. "The Brits have had their best people looking for these guys for two years, and they couldn't find a trace of them. They never would have found them at all if their new Prime Minister hadn't begged for our help. No one can avoid detection like that in this day and age without paranormal help, not in a place like Britain."

"You think they are paranormals then?" asked another man with a heavy accent.

"Unlikely," Mr. Montgomery said calmly. "A paranormal would never have let us catch them so easily. No, most likely these are nothing more than their agents; pawns, if you will."

"Even if they're only agents," Mathers said excitedly, "this could be huge! We've never actually had a chance to properly question known associates of paranormals. This could change everything!"

"Perhaps," replied Mr. Montgomery, "but before we speak any more of such things, we should deal with our uninvited guests. Morozov, De Souza, the door, if you please."

Edward didn't even have time to gasp before two large men loomed in the doorway and dragged him and Upshaw inside.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Upshaw demanded, trying unsuccessfully to break out of the grip of the man holding him. Edward, on the other hand, did not struggle. He was watching the faces of the men and women in the room with him, trying to control his fear. They were the faces of people who would kill him without hesitation, if they had to. He'd seen the look once or twice before as a boy growing up on the wrong side of London. You only needed to see that look once, and you could recognize it anywhere.

"You do not seem to like following orders, detective," Mr. Montgomery said pleasantly. "That is a shame. You have a find mind. Tell me, are you going to try and make trouble?"

"Have your goons unhand me at once," Upshaw demanded furiously, "and then maybe, _maybe_ , I won't arrest the lot of you and drag you through the streets for this! You are in the United Kingdom, and the rule of law _WILL_ -"

"De Souza," Mr. Montgomery said calmly, ignoring the detective's tirade. "If you would be so kind."

The big man holding Upshaw moved with surprising speed, grabbing the two sides of the man's head and twisting sharply. There was an audible crack as the detective's neck snapped, and the man fell limply to the ground. Edward very nearly broke down into incoherent blubbering at that point, but the countless years he'd spent practicing calm saved him once again.

"Now, Edward, there may not be a need for you to share the poor detective's fate," Mr. Montgomery said, leaning forward on his cane. The other members of Aegis said nothing, standing as still as statues. "You were quite the gifted young man, if I remember rightly."

"Thank you, Mr. Montgomery," Edward mumbled numbly, unable to take his eyes off of Upshaw's lifeless body.

"I'm going to offer you a choice here, Edward," Mr. Montgomery said, "something very few people get. The chance to really, _truly_ , make a difference. Would you like a chance like that, Edward?"

"Montgomery," Mathers said urgently, "You can't just hand out membership whenever you-"

"I can do whatever I please in my own country," Mr. Montgomery said, softly but firmly. "I am sure I do not have to remind you of the Aegis charter, do I Mr. Mathers?"

"N-no, of course not," Mathers replied meekly. "I'm sorry. You are in command here."

Edward heard the exchange, but he didn't really register it. He couldn't seem to think clearly. All he could see was Upshaw's dead body. He had been a strong man, but he hadn't even lasted a second. Not one second. "Yes," he mumbled, not because he really meant it, but because there was no way he could have brought himself to say anything else.

"Excellent," Mr. Montgomery said, and he seemed genuinely pleased that Edward had agreed. "You can stay for now, and observe. Let us see if you can still do things the way I taught you, and keep an open mind."

"An open mind?" Edward asked hesitantly, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at the dead detective any longer.

"Oh yes," Mr. Montgomery said. "You see, the world is a very different place from what you suppose it to be. We—we humans that is—are not alone."

Edward's first instinct was to laugh off such a ridiculous statement. After all, how many bad televisions shows began with just such a premise? But Edward repressed that instinct, and said nothing. If he made the wrong move here, there was no mistaking what would happen to him.

"Are you talking about the… the paranormals, sir?" Edward asked slowly, opening his eyes again so he could look at the former MI5 director.

"Very good, Edward," Mr. Montgomery said encouragingly. "Yes, I am talking about the paranormals. They live among us, you see. They look like us, sound like us, and some of them even act like us. But they are _not_ us, Edward. Never forget that."

"Yes sir," Edward mumbled, agreeing because it seemed like the only thing to do. "But… but what exactly are they? Are you talking about aliens?"

Mathers laughed, as did Morozov, the big man who was still holding Edwards tight. Mr. Montgomery smiled faintly. "No, my boy, I am not talking about aliens. Paranormals have gone by many names throughout history. Some of the ancients believed them to be divinity in human form, and worshiped them as gods. Some simply knew them as wise men and elders, while others called them demons. Druids, Shamans, Seers, Witches, Wizards. So many names, Edward, so many names. But they are all the same thing; all paranormals."

"Wizards?" Edward asked. "You're talking about… about _magic_?"

"Yes, Edward, I am talking about magic. Magic is real, my boy, and its users are out there, hiding among us, _using_ us for their own hidden purposes. These young people, for instance, could not have carried out their acts of terror without paranormal help. They had the help of magic, Edward, in carrying out their killing. We are here to find out why."

Edward had the urge to laugh again, but he crushed it quickly. "You… you're serious?" he asked quietly.

"Oh yes," Mathers said, and the others in the room nodded their agreement. "We are very serious. So how about it? Are you going to say that we're making it all up; call us crazy?"

Edward only needed one quick glance at Upshaw's dead corpse to decide. "Of course not," he said weakly. "I-I'll keep an open mind."

"A good choice," Mr. Montgomery said with a satisfied smile. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, let's get to work, shall we. We have wizards to catch."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Practice Makes Passable

"Very good, Halo," Hermione Weasley said encouragingly, "you've almost got this one."

Halo Wiggins gritted his teeth, blinked rapidly to get the sweat out of his eyes without moving his arms, and tried his best to ignore the rising feeling of nausea. He held his twisted sycomore wood wand in front of him with both hands, pointed straight at the small fireplace a few yards in front of him where a merry little fire was burning. An old tea kettle hung above the flames, whistling fitfully every few seconds as the water approached boiling. Today's exercise was simple. Cast a successful flame-freezing charm on the fire before the water boiled. Simple. Or rather, it should have been. So far, Halo hadn't been able to do more than _maybe_ slow the boiling down… slightly, and he'd been at it nearly all afternoon.

" _Tepescio!_ " Halo cried. He knew it didn't matter one bit how loudly you shouted a particular spell—the magic either came or it didn't—but he did it anyways. It made him feel better. This time, finally, a faint flicker of yellow light emanated from the end of Halo's wand. There was a soft hissing sound from the fire, but it quickly faded to silence. Was that a sign that it had finally worked? The flames didn't look all that different to Halo, but the old tea kettle had stopped whistling, which Halo thought was a very good sign. Still, he didn't celebrate yet. His magic hadn't exactly been reliable recently.

"Did he do it?" Rose Weasley asked from the far side of the bright, cozy living room, peering over at him from behind her comic book. Hermione gave her couch-lounging daughter a look of tight-lipped disapproval—well, the comic more than the daughter, really. Hermione had always thought highly of reading, but Halo was pretty sure she didn't think _Avengers_ comic books really counted as "reading".

"It looks like it," Hermione said, giving Halo an encouraging smile. "Although," she continued in one of her lecturing tones, "it is often difficult to determine whether this charm was performed properly or not. Do you know why, Halo?"

"Er…" Halo mumbled, caught unprepared. He looked helplessly at Rose, who grinned, rolled her eyes and, after gently laying her comic down, stood and stretched like a cat. Her meaning was clear. _You did this to yourself_. That was certainly true. Halo was beyond grateful that Hermione had volunteered her time to help him practice his magic during the summer holidays, but he really wished she would stop quizzing him on study questions at random times. He was just trying to practice magic, not study for the O.W.L.s that were still _years_ away. Unfortunately, he knew all too well what Hermione would say if he complained. The same thing she always said. _It's never too early to start studying_ , _Halo_.

"It's because the charm was invented during the Middle Ages, when muggles had a habit of rounding up witches to try and burn them at the stake," Rose said cheerfully, coming to stand beside Halo. "The witches obviously didn't want to be burned, so they created a handy little spell that would make the flames only lukewarm, but otherwise appear unchanged. That last part was super important, since otherwise the muggles would notice something was off. The witches would then scream for a while and then disapparate while the flames were at their highest, and when the fire died down the muggle would leave thinking they'd burned the poor woman to ashes."

"I was just about to say that," Halo muttered, making a face at Rose, which she cheerfully ignored. Instead, she stuck her hand straight into the fire without a moment's hesitation. Halo's heart leapt into his throat, all too aware that his magic was far from perfect. Rose didn't start screaming, though, so thankfully his spell must have actually worked… this time.

"Ooo, it tickles," Rose said, giggling. "I didn't think it would tickle!"

"Rose Molly Granger Weasley!" Hermione said, eyes flashing as she drew herself up to her full height.

"Uh oh," muttered Halo, who took a step backward, trying to get out of the way. Rose seemed to be in one of her reckless moods this morning, and Hermione did not look at all happy. Unfortunately, even after stepping back he was still right between the two.

"Really, Mum, you can just call me Rose," the girl said brightly, pulling her hand out of the fire and giving her mother what was clearly meant to be a winning smile. "All my friends do."

"Is everything a joke to you, young lady?" Hermione demanded, sounding near the end of her rope. "What would have happened if Halo's spell hadn't worked?"

Rose bit her lip, making a big show of considering the question carefully. "Well, I suppose I would have had to do everything with my left hand for a few weeks. Just between you and me, Mum, I think having to wipe my bum lefthanded would have been the worst part."

Halo had to force himself not to laugh, but Hermione plainly did not appreciate her daughters never-ending stream of quips. She gave an exaggerated sigh and spoke aloud to no one in particular. "Teenagers," she said mournfully, "why do all sweet, innocent children have to grow up to be _teenagers_?"

"Aw, cheer up, Mum," Rose said dancing back over to the couch and disappearing behind her comic once more. "I'm sure it's not as bad as all that. And it's only for the next six years or so, after which I'm sure I'll grow into a charming young lady." Personally, Halo did not think it likely that Rose would ever grow into a charming anything, but he kept quiet. Rose's aim had been steadily improving over the years, and she never seemed to have a shortage of things to throw at him. "Besides," Rose added, looking up from her comic to give her mother a knowing smirk, "If I remember correctly, you were quite a terror yourself at my age."

Hermione looked affronted. "I am not and never have been a _terror_ , Rose," she said loftily.

"What about that time you slapped Scorpius Malfoy's dad in the face?"

"You did _what_?" Halo asked, eyes wide. He had never heard _that_ particular story before.

"He deserved it," Hermione said defensively. "He nearly always did back then."

"And what about that time you stormed out of Divination class, claiming it was all a steaming load of cow dung?" Rose asked, clearly enjoying herself.

"I said no such thing," Hermione said, though her ears coloured slightly. "Honestly, you know the stories your father tells are more than half rubbish."

"So you didn't storm out of class in a huff?"

"Well…"

"And what about that time you-"

"That is quite enough," Hermione said, hastily cutting her daughter off. "We are in the middle of practice here. If you are going to be a distraction, dear, you'll have to go read in the other room."

Rose scowled, upset that the rest of her mother's embarrassing stories would go untold, but for once she did as she was told and silently disappeared behind the pages of her comic. Halo wondered to himself how Hermione could get her to do that, especially when she was in one of her moods. Rose was one of his dearest friends, but he could never manage to shut her up once she got on a roll.

"Now," Hermione said in a tone that clearly indicated that Halo was to act as though that whole conversation had never happened. "That was well done, Halo. The flame-freezing charm is one of the more complex ones in the _Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2._ Most don't master it until very late in their second year, so you aren't that far behind."

"The other Slytherins could all cast it nearly six months ago," Halo said dully. "Even Kevin had it down by February, and he's rubbish at charms." He hadn't meant to sound so sorry for himself, but he couldn't help it. It had been a hard year-and-a-half for him, ever since the day the Wizards of the Red Tide Conspiracy had tried to use blood magic to turn the magical energy of Hogwarts into a weapon that set the sky on fire. Halo and his friends had been able to stop them, but during the battle he'd damaged the link that connected him to his magic. The first few months had been the worst, when he'd barely been able to summon any magic at all. And even when he could, more often than not his magic did some, well, _weird_ things. His disarming spell would send wands flying straight up in the air, rather than coming toward him, while his light charm would flicker on the end of his wand like a distracting strobe light. He'd never been very good with charms to begin with, but ever since that night learning new charms, even the simplest ones, had become a struggle. His teachers and most of his classmates had been endlessly supportive, but it had still been frustrating. Slowly, month by month, his strength had returned, and Halo thought that finally he was getting back to being nearly as strong as he'd been when he'd started school around two years ago. Then again, maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part.

All that, of course, only applied to those times when his wand actually _worked._ More often than not these days, it didn't seem to want to do much of anything. It had started acting up just as he was starting to get some of his strength back, which made the whole thing even more frustrating. When he was trying to cast a new spell for the first time, like the one he'd been trying all day, it barely seemed to want to work at all. Halo had always been proud of his wand, whose unusual sphinx tooth core supposedly made it temperamental, but he was starting to get a little sick of it. Temperamental was all well and good, as far as he was concerned, but for months now his wand had gone from that to downright _unhelpful_.

"I know it's hard," Hermione said consolingly, "but you really should stop comparing yourself to everyone else."

"Yes, but-"

"It was no minor injury you suffered, Halo," Hermione continued right over him. "You very nearly severed the connection to your magic completely. Very few people come back from something like that. If anything, I would say that the rate of your recovery is nothing short of amazing."

It felt pretty far short of amazing to Halo, but he didn't bother arguing any further. In any case, Hermione was probably right. She always was. Still, he wasn't feeling in a particularly positive mood, so to try and make himself feel better he turned away from Hermione and gave his wand an irritated sort of shake, muttering, "What is _wrong_ with you, you blasted thing."

His wand did nothing in reply. It never did, at least not anymore. In the months leading up to the confrontation between Halo and his friends and the wizards who had tried to set the sky on fire, his wand had communicated with him several times. Well, not with words exactly, but it had vibrated and pulsed several times, usually to lead him to clues or new sources of information as he and his friends had tried to figure out what the heck was going on. Since that night though, his wand had been completely silent, so much so that Halo was almost starting to question whether his wand had ever communicated with him at all. It sounded so silly whenever he said it out loud.

"Halo, are you talking to your wand again?" Hermione asked hesitantly, her tone cautious. It wasn't hard to guess why. Halo never argued with or talked back to Hermione, except when it came to his wand. She held quite stubbornly to the view that _a wand is only as good as the wizard,_ and refused to believe any of the stories he'd told her about his wand acting on its own. It was the only argument they had ever really had, and both Halo and Hermione had steered clear of the topic since they'd nearly started shouting at each other over it. Halo hated shouting at anyone, except maybe at his sister Cassy, but he especially hated shouting at someone who he admired and respected as much as Hermione Weasley, who had been one of his heroes ever since he was little.

Halo shook his head to clear it and with a nervous little cough said, "Er, no, nothing like that. I was just… never mind. Should we, um, keep practicing?"

"I think that's enough for today," Hermione said, and Halo could tell she didn't believe him for an instant. She had a look in her eye like she had a good deal more to say on the subject, but reluctantly let the matter drop. "There's no sense in you trying to do too much at once."

"Right," Halo said, trying to keep his frustration out of his voice. He was getting tired of the way everyone always told him to _take it slow_ and _not push himself_ , even though he knew they were right. Halo could feel that he was nearing his limit, and that if he tried to use too much more magic he might black out again. It had already happened several times, though not recently. It had been more of a problem in the months immediately following his injury, when he'd tried to prove to everyone that his injury was no big deal.

Turns out it'd been a pretty big deal after all.

"Does this mean you're _finally_ done?" Rose called, using that special voice she reserved for those times when she wanted to convey just how spectacularly bored she was. "Mum, we were supposed to be in Diagon Alley _forever_ ago. Uncle Harry's going to be pissed."

"Harry is not going to be _pissed_ ," Hermione said, frowning distastefully at the word, "and we aren't that late…" Hermione trailed off as she checked the time and seemed to discover that they were indeed _that late_. She recovered her composure quickly, though, and began shepherding Halo and Rose in the direction of the fireplace.

"Halo, grab your shoes, dear, and get ready to grab a handful of Floo Powder. Your mother will be expecting you back at her shop soon. Rose, please put down that ridiculous comic book and go upstairs to get Hugo."

"It's not ridiculous," Rose protested, gently putting her comic down again. She looked reluctantly in the direction of the stairs, perhaps hoping that if she took long enough to get up someone else would be sent to fetch her brother. Unfortunately, her mother knew exactly what she was up to.

"Get moving, young lady, or there will be no more _Avenger, Earth's Mightiest Hero_ for you," Hermione snapped.

"Mum," Rose said in a pained whisper, "it's _Avengers_ , you know, plural."

"What like _Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Hero?_ What kind of name is Avengers?"

"It's… it's Earth's Mightiest _Heroes,_ Mum," Rose said, sounding as though this conversation was making her physically ill.

"What, all of them?" Hermione asked, sounding genuinely perplexed. "They're _all_ the mightiest heroes? That doesn't even make sense."

Rose seemed to be struck speechless by the horror of her mother's uncoolness. After a long moment, she shuddered once and said in a small voice, "I… I'll go get Hugo."

It didn't take long for Rose's younger brother to come running down the stairs, bubbling with his usual excitement. Young Hugo Weasley would finally be going off to Hogwarts this year, a fact that he gleefully shared with everyone whenever he saw them. Halo had come to the Weasley's house several times this summer to practice his charms with Hermione, and Hugo had taken the opportunity to remind Halo of that fact each and every time.

"Hiya, Halo," Hugo said excitedly, his bushy head of brown hair sticking out in all directions. "Didn't know you were here! Can you believe I'm actually going to Diagon Alley to get my wand today? It's really happening!"

"Oh, gosh, is that today?" Rose asked sarcastically before Halo could answer. "We all had no idea!"

Hugo glared at his sister, but before he could snap something back at her Hermione restored order by promising that the next person to say anything would be left behind. Hermione Weasley did not make idle threats. All three children fell completely silent, and, satisfied, Hermione sent them one by one through the Floo Network to the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron.

Halo had rather hated travelling by Floo powder ever since a rather nauseating incident where he'd sent his head to Switzerland for a few minutes, but this time he managed to keep his stomach. He stumbled out of the fireplace first, followed closely by Hugo and Rose, who immediately started arguing again now that their mother was out of sight. The inn was crowded, as it often was during the summer months, and no one paid them any mind until Hermione herself appeared in the fireplace. Just like that, a strange silence descended over the pub.

"Oh damn," Halo heard Hermione mutter under her breath. "I knew we should have gone the other way."

"It's Hermione Granger!" cried a young witch from the corner, nearly spilling her tea in excitement. "I don't believe it!"

"Mrs. Weasley, let me buy you a drink!" called a portly old man from the bar, raising his beer to her in a salute. The call rang out across the pub, and Halo was sure Hermione could have gotten a free drink or three from every person in the Leaky Cauldron if she'd wanted to.

d

"Weasley-" called some.

"Granger-" called others.

"Mrs. Weasley-Granger-" called still more, who all seemed to want to speak to her. Several ran up and shook her hand, before retreating with looks of awe on their faces. Unsure what else to do, Hermione smiled graciously and waved at all of them as she slowly herded the children towards the far door. The crowd seemed delighted by this, and many of them even waved back as the calls for _just a moment of her time before she left_ increased.

"Alright, that's enough of that!" Hollered the innkeeper, a tall, bearded man with a slightly scarred face, sandy-coloured hair and a distinctly Irish accent. "Go back to your drinks, and leave the poor woman in peace!"

There was some muttering about this, but the innkeeper threw a few dirty looks at the louder mutterers and eventually they turned back to their drinks. Hermione breathed out a relieved sigh and hurried over to the innkeeper.

"Thank you, Seamus," she said, giving the man a quick hug. "Honestly, you'd think after twenty-one-years I would be able to show my face in public without getting mobbed. I really don't know how Harry dealt with it all this time."

"Ah, well, he's Harry Potter, isn't he?" the innkeeper, Seamus, said wisely. He gave Rose a big bearhug before making a big show of checking to see how big Hugo's muscles had gotten. In Halo's opinion they weren't very big, but this Seamus fellow seemed very impressed.

"Hullo there," he said kindly, offering a big hand to Halo to shake. "Name's Seamus Finnigan. Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, lad."

"Halo Wiggins," Halo said politely. "Do you own this place, Mr. Finnigan?"

"Please, call me Seamus. And yes I do. Why, I've owned it ever since Hannah and Neville, that'd be Madame Abbott and Professor Longbottom to you, sold it and moved back to Hogwarts," Seamus said conversationally as he studied Halo with keen interest. "Wiggins, eh? Don't recognize the name, and I hear my share of names running this place. Your Dad must be a muggle, then, just like mine, though I'm guessing he's not Irish, eh." He gave Halo a friendly smile and a pat on the back which had a surprising amount of force behind it. Halo staggered slightly, but he couldn't help but smile back. This Seamus Finnigan was an easy man to like.

"He's Olivia Boots son," Hermione explained.

Seamus brightened, nodding to himself. "Ah, right, of course. I thought the name sounded familiar. Olivia's a good woman, and her brother, that'd be your Uncle Terry, is a friend. You're always welcome here, Halo. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He gave Halo an exaggerated wink, before turning to Rose and doing the same.

"Well, in that case, Halo and I will each have a firewhiskey, Uncle Seamus," Rose said, speaking with such confidence that only a madman would dare question her.

"Oh no you don't," Hermione said disapprovingly, taking Rose by the arm and leading her firmly to the door. Seamus laughed and shared a grin with Hugo before shooing the two boys after Rose, who was using all her best arguments to protest her mother's unfair treatment. Her best arguments did little, and she was dragged beyond the magical wall and halfway down Diagon Alley before she finally gave up.

Halo was heading for his mother's apothecary shop, but, as it was in the same direction as Ollivander's, he didn't say his goodbyes yet. he found himself walking with Hugo, who was staring around at the shops, boutiques and stalls in wide-eyed wonder. You'd think he'd never been to Diagon Alley before, when Halo was sure he'd been dozens of times. But then, maybe it wasn't so surprising. Diagon Alley had never seemed as magical to Halo than it had on the day he'd gone to get his own wand.

Hugo chattered away happily the whole time they walked, but Halo didn't listen closely to most of it. It wasn't that he disliked the boy, it was just that, in many ways, Hugo was very like Rose. As their cousin Albus was fond of saying, they mostly talked just to hear the sound of their own voices. Halo knew better than to try and listen to _all_ of it. Trying might very well drive him mad.

It was only when they were walking past the _Fallen Pillar_ , officially called _The Memorial to the Innocents Killed by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_ , that Halo heard Hugo say something of actual interest.

"Wait," Halo said, turning suddenly to face the boy, "Did you just say that Lily is going to be there too, getting her wand today?"

"Well duh, why else would we be going to meet them?" Hugo said, gesturing vaguely. Halo wasn't entirely sure who _them_ was, the term could include any number of Hugo's numerous relations, but right then none of that really mattered to Halo. All he really cared about was Lily.

Lily Potter had been there that night, and had faced the wizards of the Red Tide Conspiracy the same as the others, despite being only nine years old. In the end, she did far more than Halo or any of the others to protect the school, going as far as sacrificing herself to prevent the uncontrolled magic from being released into the sky. She had saved them all, but she'd very nearly died in the process, and her connection to her magic had been severely damaged, just like his had. While the healers at St. Mungo's had tried to treat her of her injuries as best they could, she, like Halo, was still far from fully healed.

Halo had been so busy at Hogwarts that he hadn't seen too much of Lily during the past year-and-a-half, but those rare times when he did see her he'd made sure to ask how she was doing. While she seemed like the same cheerful girl she'd always been when they talked, her answer had always been the same. Lily couldn't feel her magic… at all. The last time he'd seen her, around the Easter holidays, she'd seemed particularly worried about it. Her family was endlessly positive, and everyone told her that it wasn't unusual for someone without a wand to be unable to feel their magic, she had clearly been nervous. She tried to hide it from him, but Halo could tell that in the back of her mind she was afraid she might never recover. _I'll know for sure_ , she'd said, _when I go to get my wand. If one of them chooses me, then I'm still connected to my magic. If not…_ she'd trailed off at that point, unable to say more.

Today was that day—the day Lily would know for sure, one way or another, whether she still had her magic. In many ways, today would be the day she found out whether or not she was even still a witch. Halo felt a shiver run through his body. He'd known the day would come eventually, but he hadn't expected it to be… now.

"Hermione!" Halo called, racing away from a bewildered-looking Hugo to where Rose was sulking resentfully, a half step behind her mother. Both turned towards him, catching the unease in his tone.

"I want to come with you for, er, you know, moral support," Halo babbled, exchanging a quick look with Rose, who nodded grimly. So _that_ was why she had been acting even more insufferable than usual. She'd known what was going to happen today, and she was as nervous as he was about it.

"Your mother is expecting you, dear, you can't just disappear on her," Hermione said gently, immediately piecing together why Halo was so agitated. "Still, I know how important this is to you, and I'm sure Lily would appreciate you being there. Hurry on over to the shop and, if your mother says it's alright, you can come meet us at Ollivander's." She hesitated before quietly adding, "You might want to hurry. We were supposed to meet them some time ago."

Halo, to his amazement, realized that Hermione Weasley, the famous hero of the Second Wizarding War, was worried too. That did nothing to calm him down.

"I'll see you there!" Halo called over his shoulder, and immediately set off running towards his mother's shop. Hugo yelled a confused question after him, but Halo ignored him. He was too preoccupied with his worries. Lily was one of the bravest, kindest people he had ever met. If she couldn't go to Hogwarts, if the injury she'd suffered was too serious… no, the thought was too terrible to consider.

 _She'll be alright_ , he told himself firmly, as though saying it confidently enough would make it true. _She has to be alright._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Bad Timing

Halo knew the part of Diagon Alley near his mother's shop well, for he'd been going there all his life. He took a shortcut, cutting through a little walkway between two shops, _Revona's Rune Reading_ and _Celestial Stargazer_ , that led right to _Olivia's Aromatic Apothecary_. He emerged from the little alley at a full run, nearly slamming into a haughty-looking old witch by accident, who he only managed to avoid by falling over. The witch glared down at him sharply, icy disapproval radiating off of her. Another time he would have stopped to apologize properly, but Halo just smiled a faintly apologetic smile, picked himself up off of the muddy street and sped away. There was no time to waste. When he reached the door to his mother's shop, he opened it a little too forcefully, and it banged loudly against the far wall as he came running in.

"Mother!" Halo called as he raced towards the back counter, just barely keeping his balance as he wove through the aisles. It was good that he did, because losing his footing and crashing into a shelf of Manticore teeth, Hydra blood and quicksilver dusk would absolutely ruin his day.

"Harry, dear, is that you?" Halo's mother called, sounding confused. "Is something wrong?"

Halo emerged from the maze of shelves and stopped in front of the counter, his hands on his knees. His mother looked utterly bewildered, but Halo couldn't answer at first, needing a few seconds to catch his breath. It didn't help that the air was thick with at least a dozen powerful smells, all mixing together in his nose. There were the sweet smells of herbs, the fragrance of rare flowers, the earthy smells of various gem dusts and powders, and of course, the horrible smells of the rarer potion ingredients, from bat dung to fish eyes. All things considered, it was not the easiest air to gulp down.

Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to run the _whole_ way here.

"What is going on?" she asked, looking him up and down. "You look like you went rolling in the mud! And what were you thinking, running through the shop? I've told you a hundred times-"

"Sorry, but it's important. Lily is… she's trying to choose a wand today."

His mother's expression softened, and she said, "Oh, that poor girl."

"Hermione said I could go too for moral support, but that I had to ask your permission first."

"Of course you can go," his mother said gently. "I have a few delivery orders to take care of here, and then I was going to pick up a couple of things from the store before heading home. Your father will be working late today, and Cassy is off doing who knows what with those friends of hers, so there wouldn't be anyone at the house for a while anyways. Just make sure you're home before Cassy."

"You're the best," Halo said, giving his mother a quick hug. He could be gone for hours and hours and still make it back before Cassy, who viewed her curfew as more of a suggestion than an actual rule. "I'd better get going. Hermione said I should hurry."

She frowned at this, giving him that look all mothers reserve especially for their children. "Harry," she said seriously, "I really don't think you should refer to Mrs. Weasley as Hermione. It isn't proper. She's, well, she's _Hermione Weasley_ , not one of your school friends."

Halo rolled his eyes. Not this again. His mother brought this up every so often, and he'd long since given up arguing with her about it. It didn't seem to matter one bit that Hermione, Ron and Harry had all specifically asked him to call them by those names. Like nearly everyone else, she had a special reverence for the heroes who had defeated Voldemort. It was no accident that his parents had chosen to name him Harry, in honour of the most famous wizard alive. In fact, he had the feeling that his mother could barely keep from calling them Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Potter whenever they met, and she'd gone to school with them! Then there was the fact that Mother stubbornly continued to call him _Harry_ , while everyone else, even Dad, had taken to calling him by his nickname, _Halo_. It annoyed him slightly, since she was the only one who still did it, but Halo knew better that to start _that_ fight right now. So, instead of arguing he just gave his mother a winning smile and a quick kiss on the cheek before turning for the door.

"Oh, one more thing," Mother called as he hurried past a shelf lined with bags of brightly coloured powder. "A friend of yours came by to see you not half an hour ago, but I said you weren't around. I believe she said she'd be getting ice cream by the monument, and that if you had time you should stop by."

"Who was it?" Halo called back loudly, not slowing down. Probably just one of his Slytherin classmates, doing some summer shopping to get ready for Hogwarts. He could always catch up with them later.

"It was your friend from school, the Lestrange girl who you're always talking about. She was ever so polite to me, introducing herself as Cleo."

Halo stopped dead, a feeling of dread running through him.

"Cleo… it can't be," he whispered to himself. Louder he asked, "A-are you sure she called herself Cleo, not Clytemnestra?"

"Yes, dear," his mother said calmly, not understanding the significance of the question.

Halo did understand the significance, and set off running. He nearly tripped on the doorstep on the way out, and didn't care one bit that the door slammed shut behind him.

He ran back through Diagon Alley, dodging past crowds of window-shopping witches, chatting wizards, and amazed-looking tourists who stared at the colourful shops all around them. He managed to avoid running into any of them, but he brushed past more than one as he ran, and had to mutter quick apologies that weren't quite enough, judging from the angry shouts that followed him. He was too distracted to care. Nervous as he was about Lily, nothing worried him more than the thought of Cleo Lestrange walking around alone and unwatched. He would try and convince her to go back home as quickly as he could, and then hopefully make it over to Ollivanders to be there for Lily. With a little luck, he might make it in time. Knowing Cleo, though, he had to admit that there was almost no chance of things working out that easily.

When he reached his destination, he had to stop again to try and catch his breath. He _really_ needed to work on his running. The monument where Mother'd said he could find her, the _Fallen Pillar_ , was located on the North Side of Diagon Alley, in front of an old ice cream parlour whose owner, a man named Florian Fortescue, had been kidnapped, tortured and ultimately killed by Death Eaters during the Second Wizarding War. Why Voldemort ordered his followers to kill the owner of an ice cream shop Halo had never heard, but to him very little that the Death Eaters did had ever made sense. Fortescue had been well liked in the wizarding community, and when the time had come to build a memorial to the dead, his widow had petitioned that her husband's old shop, located right in the busiest part of Diagon Alley, would make the perfect place. The Ministry had agreed, and in only a few short weeks the monument had been built, mostly by magic. The old parlour was closed for good, although Fortescue's daughter set up a small ice cream stand across the way, so that young wizards and witches would never have to leave Diagon Alley unhappy.

The memorial itself was a dark stone pillar, some five feet in diameter and twenty feet high, that hovered just off the ground. It revolved slowly, and every inch of it was carved with faces, each one roughly the same size. Well, _carved_ wasn't exactly the right word, since the faces had been formed by magic and not carved by hand, and they were more realistic and lifelike than a muggle sculpture. Each one depicted a man, woman, or child, muggle and wizard alike, who had been killed by Voldemort and his followers during the war. Cassy had told him once that she thought the faces were creepy, but Halo didn't find them creepy at all. Mostly they made him sad. There were just so many of them.

It was on a bench opposite that monument that Halo found her, casually licking an ice cream cone as she watched the pillar slowly turn. The sight of her shocked him, and he nearly gasped out loud. Her long black hair, which always hung loose down her back was gone. It had instead been cut very short, not even reaching her shoulders, though she still had long black bangs that came down to around her eyes. She wore faded jeans and a light grey sweatshirt, despite the warmth of the day. Halo had no trouble guessing why. He'd seen the scars, burns and old bruises that covered her arms and legs, given to her by her insane mother when she'd been just a little girl. No one could see injuries like that and not wonder where they'd come from, and the last thing Cleo would want was to attract attention.

"Cleo?" He asked hesitantly, coming up to join her at the bench after he'd taken a few moments to catch his breath. She turned towards him slowly, licking her ice cream as though she didn't have a care in the world. She was wearing sunglasses that were much too big for her, and between them and her long bangs very little of her face was visible for him to read her mood.

"Hello, Halo darling," she said with fake sweetness, banishing any doubt in his mind as to who he was talking to. Clytemnestra, his best friend and roommate at Hogwarts and the girl who was usually in control of this body, would never say anything like that to him. Cleo, on the other hand, the wild and dangerous _other_ girl living inside his best friend's body, seemed to enjoy going out of her way to mess with him, and acting like this seemed to be her favourite way of doing it, mostly because it made Halo uncomfortable.

"God, you look awful," she said conversationally, looking him up and down. "What happened, you lose a mud wrestling match with a pig?"

"Very funny. It's dangerous for you to be out here, Cleo," Halo said, trying his best to sound reasonable and keep every hint of his worry and anxiety out of his voice. He'd spent the whole run here trying to think of a way to get her out of here quickly and quietly, and this was the best thing he could come up with. "Scrimgeour and his lackeys at the Ministry would arrest you in a second if they knew you were awake again and wandering about."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that; that's what these are for," Cleo said as she briefly lowered her comically large sunglasses, revealing for just an instant her burning blue eyes that never quite seemed to focus on him. "Plus, why would the Ministry or anyone else be looking for me? As far as the world is concerned, the big, bad Cleo has gone back to sleep for good, leaving only the pure, innocent, pathetic _Clytemnestra_." She couldn't quite keep the scorn out of her voice as she said the girl's name, and Halo's anxiety only grew.

"What did you-"

"What did I do to her?" Cleo asked innocently, licking her ice cream again. "Why, nothing at all. I'm only taking the time that you and I agreed would belong to me. You remember the Unbreakable Vow we made, don't you, darling?"

Halo scowled at her. Oh, he remembered all right. Making that deal with her had been the only way to keep Cleo and Clytemnestra both out of the hands of Scrimgeour and the Ministry, but that didn't mean he had to like the fact that this dangerous girl had more control over his life than anyone else in the world.

"You were promised three days out of the month, but the time can be split up however Clytemnestra or I decide. You agreed to that yourself," Halo said sternly, frowning down at her. He had already had this argument with her several times, ever since he and Clytemnestra had come up with the idea, towards the end of their first year, of only ever giving Cleo control over her body at night, when everyone else was safely asleep. Cleo hadn't liked that one bit, but she'd been powerless to do anything about it, since she'd sworn the same Unbreakable Vow he had.

"True," Cleo said between licks, "but it seems that this month she didn't much feel like sharing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's July 29th, isn't it?" Cleo said as she grinned widely at him, ice cream covering most of her visible face.

"So?" Halo demanded, not understanding what she was getting at, and quickly losing patience with her. Clytemnestra was nowhere near this infuriating. How could two people living inside one body be so very different?

"So, this morning is the first time I've been awake since _June_ ," Cleo said slowly, as if he were being dim. "It's time for me to get my three days before the month ends. Apparently your dear Clytemnestra didn't feel like holding to the schedule. Really, I should thank her. This is the first time I've seen the sun in months because of your little plan."

Halo groaned. He should have considered that this might happen. Clytemnestra absolutely _hated_ giving up control of her body to Cleo. She'd told him once that it was easier when Halo was around to watch Cleo at night, which during the summer obviously couldn't happen. She'd said she would follow the same pattern during the summer holiday, but obviously she hadn't. Now Cleo was free to get into all sorts of trouble, from messily eating ice cream to cutting most of her hair off. Clytemnestra would not be happy when she finally woke up again.

Halo tried to think of a way to keep Cleo from getting into any more mischief, but nothing came to mind. She seemed to be enjoying herself far too much to want to leave, and he doubted it would be a good idea to stay much longer. Already passers-by were starting to give the two of them strange looks, although that might have had more to do with the way he was awkwardly standing in front of her than from anything she was doing. Reluctantly, he sat down on the bench next to her and tried his best to ignore her when she snuggled up close to him, a mischievous little smile on her face. She just _loved_ making him feel uncomfortable.

"Want some?" Cleo asked sweetly, offering the little that was left of her cone. Halo glared at her. She knew that he hated sharing food, and would never in a million years eat anything that someone else had touched, much less _licked_.

"No, _thanks_ ," Halo said through gritted teeth, pushing her away. "We should really be going-"

"Suit yourself," Cleo said with an indifferent shrug, talking right over him. "It's good, though. Best ice cream I've ever had."

"Yeah, that's great, but-"

"But then it would be the best, wouldn't it?" She wondered aloud, apparently completely indifferent to what he was saying. "Seeing as how I've never had ice cream before. It's good, you know."

"You've never had ice cream?" Halo said, startled.

Cleo turned to study him, burning blue eyes hidden behind her overlarge sunglasses. "I don't know why you're surprised," she said, her voice heavy with bitterness. "I don't have much control over my body these days, and my mother wasn't exactly the type to take me on a nice trip to Diagon Alley for some ice cream as a girl."

"No, she wasn't," Halo agreed quietly, suddenly feeling very conflicted. He knew how horribly Clytemnestra had suffered at the hands of her insane mother, Bellatrix Lestrange and Cleo might have had it even worse. It wouldn't be right to just drag her back home, not when this was the first time she'd been able to walk around freely in years. Maybe letting her wake up only at night wasn't really the fairest way to go about this. Cleo was wild and unpredictable, but that didn't give him and Clytemnestra the right to basically keep her as a prisoner inside her own body. Or did it? Cleo was a killer, and, according to Clytemnestra at least, a master manipulator. She'd warned him several times to never, ever trust the girl, who seemed to go out of her way to mess with his head. She was doing it right now, for crying out loud, trying to get him to feel sorry for her.

But the thing was, he _did_ feel sorry for her.

As he sat there watching her, trying to sort through his thoughts, she finished the last of her ice cream with a wistful sigh. She snuggled up close to him again, giving him that truly pitiful look that all new-born puppies seemed to have down, _the I-have-not-eaten-in-a-million-years_ face.

"Do you want another one?" Halo asked, unable to help himself. He didn't much like puppies, who were just dogs who hadn't grown up to be mean yet, but he could never resist that look on people. Cleo knew that, and Halo was pretty sure she was just using him, but he still couldn't resist.

Cleo nodded and sprang to her feet eagerly. She was halfway to the line in front of the ice cream stand before Halo even stood up. Shaking his head in disbelief, Halo wondered once again how two people living in the same body could be so different.

Halo didn't have much pocket money on him, but thankfully he had just enough to buy two cones. He got Chimera Caramel, while Cleo decided to try Mandrake Mint. As they walked back toward the monument, Halo asked the question that had been bothering him since they'd gotten in line.

"How exactly did you pay for ice cream the first time?"

"Oh, she has some money saved," Cleo said as she aggressively attacked the cone in her hand. "Well, she _had_ some, anyways. I spent it all this morning on my haircut and food and stuff."

Halo sighed, but didn't say anything. There would be no point, since nothing he could say would make Cleo feel at all sorry. Poor Clytemnestra. She'd probably spent months saving that money, only to have someone else spend it on food she wouldn't remember eating and a haircut she was probably going to hate.

"So, do you think you can show me around, Halo, darling?" Cleo asked in the tone she used to mess with him. "I've never been to Diagon Alley before. I mean, I walked around a little this morning, but it was all so confusing and I got lost," she added in a pleading little voice, as if there was some way he could possibly mistake her for a helpless girl.

Halo didn't answer immediately, needing time to get his thoughts in order. Why did she always have to make it so hard for him to think? Clytemnestra never did anything like this, which was one of the reasons it was so much easier to be around her. The truth was, he had no desire to give her a guided tour right now. He still wanted to get to Ollivanders, but he didn't see how that could realistically happen at this point. There was no way he could take Cleo with him, even if she did want to go for some reason, and he couldn't very well leave her alone either. She'd already spent all of Clytemnestra's money and cut off most of her hair. If he didn't watch her, she might do something truly crazy, like start a duel or get one of those motion tattoos that were becoming popular. That was the problem with Cleo. There was no telling what she might decide to do at any given moment.

"I'm not going home, if that's what you're thinking," Cleo said angrily, the playfulness gone from her voice. That snapped Halo right back to reality.

"No, it's not that," Halo said truthfully, having already given up on the idea. "It's just…" He paused, and then, because he had foolishly made an unbreakable promise to never lie to her, told her about Lily. Cleo listened in silence, not even licking her ice cream as he talked. When he was finished, she said, "This Lily is the one who save my life—mine and _hers_ —as a girl, isn't she?"

"That's right," Halo said, surprised. Lily's prophetic dreams had directly led to Cleo's rescue from her mother, but he hadn't realized she knew about that. Clytemnestra knew, of course, and he had discussed it with her several times, but he couldn't remember even mentioning it while Cleo was awake. Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time she'd seemed to know things that'd happened while she was supposedly asleep _._ He wondered just how _asleep_ the girls really were when the other one was awake.

Cleo nodded slowly, seeming to make a decision. "Which way is this wand place?" She demanded, looking around to see if she could see it, which was quite impossible seeing as it was on the other side of Diagon Alley, back the way Halo had run from.

"Hold up," Halo protested, "you can't go…"

Cleo whirled to face him, looking furious. He couldn't see her eyes, but he knew they must be burning dangerously. Maybe _can't_ hadn't been the best choice of words.

"Oh so _I_ can't go thank the girl who saved my life, but if _she_ were awake right now, there'd be no problem, is that right?" Halo gulped, saying nothing. The only honest answer was _yes_ , and he couldn't very well say that in the mood she was in. Damn that stupid promise to never lie to her.

"I'm going," Cleo growled, "and I'll do what I can to help her. After that, she and I are even."

"What are you going to do?" Halo asked, wondering what she or anyone else could possibly do to help Lily's situation. Either a wand chose her, or it didn't… right?

Slowly Cleo lowered her sunglasses so she could look at him directly, burning blue eyes staring into brown. "There are many things about magic that you don't even begin to understand," she said in a low voice he had never heard before. Halo stared back at her, completely at a loss for words. He was used to her fake sweetness and sarcastic playfulness, and while he didn't quite understand it, it didn't confuse him anywhere near as much as this mysterious side of Cleo did.

"Now," she said in that same low, serious voice, "which way did you say the wand shop was again?"

"T-that way," Halo replied, pointing in the general direction of Ollivanders.

"Great!" Cleo said, her voice and manner abruptly changing back to playful, she replaced her sunglasses and went back to licking her ice cream. "Lead the way then, darling."

So Halo reluctantly led the way, walking slowly back the way he had run only a few minutes before. They walked in silence for a while as Cleo messily destroyed her ice cream. Halo's stayed more or less untouched in his hand. As they got closer to the wand shop, Halo decided he had to make at least one more attempt to dissuade her from going.

"You know, Harry Potter and Hermione Weasley are going to be there," Halo warned. "If they realize that you're awake instead of Clytemnestra, there could be trouble. They don't trust you, you know."

"No one trusts me, darling, not even you," Cleo said indifferently. "I'm not worried about Potter and Weasley. Also, are you going to finish that?" she eyed his ice cream eagerly, and without a word he sighed and passed her his cone, which she began devouring eagerly.

They were about a block from Ollivanders when a young man who had been passing by on the other side stepped up right in front of Halo, forcing him to stop. He had long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, a wispy beard and a set of eyewatering red robes.

"Greetings, my young friends," he said in a reedy voice, smiling at them with detached pleasantness.

"Uh, hi," Halo said, not quite sure what to make of this. In the muggle world, people like this occasionally approached you to talk about religion or saving endangered kittens or something like that, but Halo had never seen a wizard walk up to strangers like this. Cleo said nothing, though he felt her stiffen beside him, which immediately sent alarm bells ringing in his mind. Cleo tended to be unpredictable around people, and if she didn't like this odd fellow for whatever reason, she might do something painful and irreversible to him.

"Look, we really have to get goi-" Halo said, trying to move past the young man, who was having none of it.

"Whoa, what's your hurry, friend?" he asked, pleasant smile still in place. "I just wanted to chat for a while."

"Chat about what?" Cleo asked, her voice soft and dangerous. The man took no notice of it, smiling vaguely at the pair of them.

"What are you two anyways? Not brother and sister, surely. Are you maybe boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"No," Halo said quickly.

"Yes," Cleo replied at the exact same instant. Halo shot her an exasperated look which she either didn't see or chose to ignore. The young man seemed to find this hilarious, and let out a loud, high-pitched laugh.

"Ah, young love," he said wistfully. "Now tell me, Romeo, do you think you're using your magic to its fullest potential?"

"W-what?" Halo asked, caught off guard. Why was this man asking about his magic? Did he know something about his condition? How could he?

"How about you, miss?" The man asked, turning to smile at Cleo. "Haven't you ever wished there was more to spellcraft than memorizing a few basic charms?"

"My magic could melt that stupid grin right off your face," Cleo growled, looking for all the world like a cornered animal. Halo got ready to intervene, but the young man just laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure it could," he said cheerfully, "But I reckon there's a thing or two even you don't know, eh? If you ever want to learn more, there's only one place to go. Feel free to stop by anytime to check us out, and be sure to tell them Xander sent you." He pressed a leaflet into Cleo's hand and gave the bewildered Halo a wink.

As he turned to go, no doubt to bother some other unsuspecting shopper, just for an instant his dull brown eyes glowed as if lit from behind by a fire. For that brief moment, they looked just like Cleo's eyes. Cleo immediately sprang back, reaching for her wand, and Halo had to grab her arm with both hands to keep her from drawing it. Xander didn't seem to notice anything, having already turned away and set off down the road.

"Cleo, calm down," he said quietly, keenly aware that they were in the middle of a busy street. And that a few people were giving them curious looks

"No, you don't understand," she said struggling to shake him off and draw her wand. "You don't know... you don't understand." She sounded scared, and she wasn't making much sense. Was she having a flashback to her time with her mother for some reason? That happened to both Cleo and Clytemnestra from time to time, and the results were usually not pretty.

"It's okay, Cleo, it's fine now," he said soothingly, and slowly she began to relax. When she saw that Xander was indeed far down the street, talking to an old witch who seemed to have trouble hearing him, she reluctantly let go of her wand. Slowly she opened her right hand, which held the crumpled leaflet he had given her. Halo leaned forward curiously, taking the leaflet from her hands and reading what it said.

"Do you wish spellcasting was more fulfilling? Are you tired of the same old boring charms?" he read aloud. "Are you looking for a new challenge? Then the Eye of Ra is for you. Our Order pioneered a revolutionary new method that puts the _magic_ back in the Magical Arts. Interested? The first class is free, and introductory rates for new students are available. All ages are welcome to participate." He looked up at Cleo, who was still tense. "I dunno, Cleo, the whole thing sounds like a scam to me. Like one of those muggle karate studios that kids think will turn them into a ninja, but really just teaches you to punch straight. Put the magic back in the Magical Arts? I wouldn't take this too seriously."

"You saw the eyes," Cleo said, meaningfully taking off her sunglasses to stare at him with her burning blue eyes. "The eyes don't lie."

"What does that even mean?" Halo asked, feeling totally lost. He had never understood what made Cleo's eyes glow like that, and neither had anyone he talked to, not even Hermione. The only person he hadn't gotten a proper answer from was Cleo herself, who never seemed interested in answering his more serious questions. She would just try and cuddle up to him until he got sick of her and let the matter drop.

"It means the Order really is here, and that can mean only one thing," Cleo said, sounding lost in thought. It was a clue, the first one she'd ever given of the mysteries behind who or what she was, but not surprisingly it didn't make things any clearer for Halo.

"Order? You mean the Order of the Phoenix, or this Order of the Eye of Ra? And who is Ra, and what's up with his eye anyways?"

Cleo didn't answer. She kept looking in the direction of Xander, who had moved even further down the street and was handing leaflets to some tourists who plainly couldn't understand him. She clearly was in no mood to explain things properly. Annoying as that was, it was hardly new, and not really the most important thing to Halo right now. Lily might still be trying to choose her wand at this very moment.

"Come on," he said, stuffing the leaflet absently in his pocket and taking hold of her arm. "This Order, whatever or whoever they are, can wait until we've made sure Lily is okay. I don't think they're anything to worry about."

Cleo let him lead her the rest of the way to Ollivanders. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn't even notice that she didn't say anything in response, or that she most certainly did not agree with him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 You Only Need One

It just wasn't working.

And the day had started out so well too. She'd managed to get a few hours of sleep, which she never would've expected the night before a day like this, but it had. She'd woken up feeling totally rested, something else that almost never happened, and ready to face whatever this day might throw at her. Shanjavi, the snake who always slept beside her bed, had been none too pleased at the early wakeup, but she had ignored him, though she had even done _that_ more politely than usual. After that she'd done everything right, just to be on the safe side. She'd washed her face, brushed her teeth, gotten dressed, and even combed her long white hair all before breakfast, making it three things that almost never happened. Today was finally the day. At long last, she would be getting her very own wand. Daddy had always told her that wands chose their owners. How they chose Lily was not exactly sure, but she thought she ought to do _something_ this morning to try and impress them. She would go to Diagon Alley and a wand would choose her, no doubt impressed by her morning hygiene routine, and she would finally become the responsible, grown-up, Hogwarts-going witch she was supposed to be. And if what it took for a wand to choose her was for her to be someone who brushed her teeth in the morning before breakfast, well then that was who Lily Luna Potter was going to be.

Well, it wasn't working.

The morning had gotten even better when Lily went downstairs. Mum surprised her with her favourite breakfast— piles of everything… except eggs, which were gross. Lily cheerfully helped herself to huge heaping helpings of sausage, toast, beans, fried tomatoes, potatoes and, of course, bacon, which was her favourite. Daddy had frowned at her, asking her if she could really eat all that. She'd just laughed at his foolishness. Her daddy might be the famous Harry Potter, known and beloved around the world for his victories over dark wizards, but he would simply never understand her love of food. Well, Lily had admitted reluctantly to herself as she had refilled her plate, he might have had a point. There were days when her appetite was completely gone, and she'd go the entire day on nothing but water… but this was most certainly not one of those days. This was a good day, and a good day was meant to be celebrated with bacon, lots and lots of bacon. Truth be told, she hadn't quite finished _all_ of the food on her plate, but she got through most of it, and she definitely ate more than her brothers. James and Albus had only picked at their food, both so anxious that Lily could almost taste it… or rather would have been able to taste it if she hadn't been so stuffed. Maybe getting seconds hadn't been such a good idea, no matter how amazing Mum's bacon was.

The rest of the morning had not been nearly as great as breakfast, as Lily spent most of her time pacing around, waiting for it to be time to go meet her cousin Hugo at Diagon Alley. The old Lily might have been bothered by this, complaining about how unbearably boring it was to have to just wait around, especially on a day like this. The old Lily might have sulked, or tried to pester her parents to just go already, or started irritating Al out of sheer boredom, but the new, improved, wand-ready Lily did none of those things. She simply paced in elegant, dignified silence, stomping her feet in frustration only once or twice… or maybe three or four times at the very most.

And yet, somehow, despite all of that, it _still_ wasn't working. She shouldn't have even bothered.

They had gone to Diagon Alley around noon, just like they'd all agreed, but Hugo, Rosie and Auntie Hermione were running late. Uncle Ron wouldn't be coming, as this was one of the busiest times of the year for the joke shop he ran with her Uncle George. He had pulled her aside the night before, though, and given her some of his famous Uncle Ron wisdom. _Don't worry about how long it takes you to find the right wand, Tiger Lily._ He had said seriously. _These things take time. And remember, you don't need all the wands to like you. You only need one._ Lily had repeated that line over and over again to herself as she had paced back and forth waiting. One. She only needed one.

Lily had grown tired of waiting for Hugo and her Auntie, so she had insisted that Daddy and Mum take her straight away. That had turned out to be a mistake. She had tried so hard to be a good girl, and then it was all gone in an instant of impatience. Things had started to go badly almost the second Lily walked into the wand shop. First she nearly fell over walking inside, so nervous and excited at the same time that she tripped over literally nothing. She caught herself just in time, face burning bright red with embarrassment. Thankfully, Daddy and Mum were busy saying hello to the witch standing behind the counter and James was busy frowning out the window at something, so Lily making a complete butt of herself went almost unnoticed. Almost. Only Al, whose sharp, _stupid_ green eyes never ever missed a thing, definitely saw her almost fall flat on her face. Being Al, she'd thought that he would make one of his snarky jokes that he thought was funny even though it really wasn't and she would have to snap at him or smack him right across his big, stupid face, but instead her brother just smiled faintly, shook his head silently and said nothing.

That, obviously, was even worse.

Her brothers, especially Al, were unsufferable when they were teasing her, but when they were holding back to spare her feelings because they felt bad for her, well, that was _beyond_ unsufferable.

Lily longed to say something to her brother, to snark as snarkily as anyone had ever snarked, but she stopped herself. It was widely known that a good witch did not snark at anyone, not even her idiot brother, and she couldn't afford to be anything but the goodest of good witches. Not today. So, instead of saying any of the many, _many_ nasty comments that sprang to mind, Lily just straightened herself up as if nothing had happened and smiled as sweetly as she could manage right back at her brother's big, stupid face.

"Welcome to Ollivanders, my dear," the super thin woman who Lily thought looked almost like a skeleton said in a soft voice that made Lily feel a little sleepy, despite how hyper she'd been all day. Lily remembered her vaguely from the first two times she'd been to the wand shop when her brothers had gotten their own wands. To be perfectly honest, though, she didn't remember much from either of those times. When James had gotten his wand she'd spent most of the time crying, convinced that her big brother would forget all about her the second he got to school. The second time, when Al had picked his wand, Lily had been in such a temper that she wasn't old enough to go to Hogwarts herself that Mum'd had to take her outside and she'd missed almost the whole thing. Thinking back on it now, Lily almost couldn't believe she'd ever been so childish. She felt herself go red again and hoped that the wands in the shop didn't remember that little tantrum, or that they hadn't been watching her at the time. She hadn't the faintest idea of how the whole wand choosing thing worked, but she couldn't imagine any wand bonding to her if it had any memory of that particular day.

She really should have put more effort into this whole _good witch_ business before this morning. Swallowing, she thought of what Uncle Ron had said. _You only need one_.

"I am Madame Ollivander, though you may call me Cordelia," Skeleton Woman continued calmly, totally unaware that Lily was hardly paying her the slightest attention. She gave Lily an odd little flash of teeth that was probably meant to be a reassuring smile but looked more like someone about to have a dental exam. Not that Lily had all that much experience with muggle dentists, having only been that one time at her Auntie Hermione's insistence, but that one time was more than enough. Both of Auntie's parents, apparently, had once been dentists, and they had been horrified that the children had never had their teeth "properly" checked. Never mind that magic could easily fix nonsense like cavities and crooked teeth, Lily had been forced to go once, a few years back. Once and only once. When they finally let her go, Lily had screamed as loud as she could that she would never go back to that man with his cherry-flavoured tooth-torturer, not ever. Thankfully Daddy had listened to her and never made her go back, no matter how hard Auntie pestered him about it. Rose and Hugo weren't so lucky though, and she knew Auntie dragged them to see the bad man twice a year. Lily shivered at the very thought of it.

"Are you cold, dear," Mum asked, shooting her daughter a concerned look.

"I, er, no… I'm fine," Lily said, realizing that her mind had been wandering quite a bit and snapping it back to focus. Getting a wand, she told herself sternly as she brushed her white bangs out of her eyes, that's what matters today, not _dentists_.

"Don't go pushing yourself too hard, Lily-Bean," Mum said in that tone she _always_ used when she told Lily not to push herself too hard; the one that sounded as if she thought Lily might literally break at any second.

Lily hated that tone… and that stupid, _unsufferable_ nickname.

"I said I'm _fine_ , Mum," Lily snapped, though she regretted it immediately. Mum gave her a hurt look, and Lily knew she wasn't being fair. After all, it's not like Mum didn't have reason to be worried. Lily had never fully recovered from that night two years ago when she had nearly died at Hogwarts, and she knew it. They all knew it. Nobody really talked about it all that much, but it was always there, lingering in the back of their minds. Lily just knew it was. Sighing, she brushed her white hair behind her right ear and put on a brave smile.

"It's just… I've dreamed about this day for so long, and it's finally here." she admitted reluctantly, knowing that Daddy and Mum would need some sort of admission from her. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

Daddy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder while Mum gave her a little smile, both seeming satisfied with her explanation. But it was a lie. Lily wasn't just a little nervous. She was terrified. Ever since that cold December night two years before, when Lily'd nearly been killed absorbing all the energy that the mad wizard Lucas had tried to release into the sky, she hadn't been able to feel her magic; not once. Witches and wizards rarely had control over their power before they got their wands at eleven and went off to Hogwarts, but they could usually still feel _something_. Every time Lily tried to use that power, though, and she had tried many, _many_ times, she just couldn't. It was always just out of reach. For two years, she had been clinging to the hope that all she needed was a wand, and that with it she would feel that power again. When she had woken up today, she had known that she would finally find out, one way or the other. That was why she had tried so hard to be good, to be the best witch that she could be, because if she didn't, well, then a wand just wouldn't choose her at all.

And if a wand didn't choose her, what was she?

"Let's get started, shall we?" Skeleton Woman had said as a tape measure had flown out from the back. Lily had gulped and let it measure her.

And then, everything had fallen apart. The first wand had done nothing when she'd picked it up and given it a wave. And so had the second. And the third. And the thirteenth. Mum and Daddy, who had been so supportive at first telling her not to worry, became uneasy, and James and Al looked downright scared. Lily just wanted to cry. It just wasn't working. She shouldn't have even bothered. Apparently, she couldn't even get one.

"Let's try this one," Skeleton Woman said bracingly, holding up yet another wand. "Ten and three quarters inch, whippy. Mahogany and phoenix tail."

Lily just scowled. What was this, the thirtieth? The three hundredth? It didn't seem to matter. It looked like her grandmother—who was also named Lily, confusingly enough—had been right after all. Lily was still not sure whether her conversation with her grandmother had ever _really_ happened, since she had been mostly dead at the time and she'd met and spoken with Grandma Lily on an island that didn't really exist, except in her dreams. But then Lily was a dreamwalker, and she'd had her fair share of nightmares that were far too real, so why couldn't that have been real too? She still remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday; the beautiful young witch who look far, _far_ too young to be a grandmother smiling at her sadly, warning her that the sacrifice she'd made to save everyone had taken a very serious toll on her connection to her magic. Grandma Lily had said she would heal… eventually, but that it would not be easy. Lily felt tears form in her eyes as she picked up this new wand and felt, once again, absolutely nothing happened. She'd been hurt, she knew that. Her snow white hair, which had once been as red as her mother's, was a perfect reminder of what had happened. She'd tried to prepare herself, knowing she needed time to heal, and that it might be hard.

But she'd had a year and a half, and she still couldn't feel her magic at all. Lily had just never imagined it would be _this_ hard.

The door opened behind her, and Hugo, Rosie and Auntie Hermione walked in. It only took Auntie a second to figure out what was going on from the looks on everyone's faces, and it only took Rosie two seconds. Hugo, on the other hand, smiled a big grin at everyone and seemed totally oblivious to the whole thing.

"Hiya Lily," he said cheerfully, running his fingers through his bushy brown hair as he walked over to her. "You haven't chosen your wand yet? We were so late I thought for sure that you'd be done by now! Does this mean I have to wait for you to finish, since you were here first? That's fine, I mean I guess that's fine. It feels like we've been waiting forever, doesn't it, so what's a little while longer?"

"Hugo, dear," Auntie Hermione called, as Hugo continued to chat away, blissfully unaware that Lily's eyes were getting narrower and narrower with each passing word. "Why don't you come over here and leave your cousin alone until she's finished."

"No, it's fine," Lily said, trying to sound gracious. It was hard to sound gracious with her teeth clenched, but she gave it her best try. "Why don't you go ahead, Hugo. I could use a break anyways."

Daddy, Mum and Auntie exchanged anxious looks, as did James, Al and Rosie. In the end, though, no one argued with her decision, and Hugo eagerly bounded up to Skeleton Lady, who began measuring him while Lily crept away to slouch beside the far wall. James moved as if to join her, but she glared at him sharply and he stayed where he was. She was NOT in the mood to talk right now, and there was nothing her brother or anyone else could do to make this better, short of healing her. The measuring took some time, and stewing in the corner in her own dark thoughts did nothing to improve Lily's mood. She tried her best not to scowl as Skeleton Lady went into the back and brought out a wand for Hugo. Knowing him, he'd probably be chosen by the first wand he touched.

Turned out it wasn't the first wand… it was the fourth. Maple and dragon heartstring, eight and a half inches, flexible. It was all Lily could do not to start screaming or burst into tears. The only way she managed it, honestly, was that she was caught halfway between the two and so nothing came out. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for Hugo—she was, honest—but she just couldn't stand it. Soon enough he would be boarding the Hogwarts Express, setting off for his new life at school while she, wandless, broken Lily Potter, would stay behind and… and become a muggle. A lump formed in her throat, the painful kind that made breathing difficult. She had never been to school before, her parents had taught her to read and write and all that. Did this mean she would have to go to secondary school like a muggle and learn _math_ and go to the _dentist_? Would her parents even want to keep her, she thought wildly, her hands beginning to shake. What if-?

The door to the shop opened again, and two more people walked in. Halo Wiggins and Clytemnestra Lestrange entered, both looking rather nervous. Clytemnestra had cut her hair short, and Lily thought it looked rather good like that, but she didn't say so. In fact, Lily very nearly burst into tears all over again at the sight of them. She knew that they had just come to cheer her on, but right then she'd wished they hadn't. Halo caught her eye and smiled at her reassuringly, and she felt a mutinous blush spread across her face. If there was anyone in the whole wide world that she did _not_ want to witness her utter humiliation, it was him.

"Halo!" Mum said, rushing over to the boy and wrapping him in a tight hug that seemed to embarrass him. Halo tried to pull out of Ginny Potter's grasp, but she held him tightly, fussing over how dirty the back of his robes were. Rose and Albus waved at both of them, while James smiled at Clytemnestra before scowling and refusing to look at Halo. Daddy went over as well, clapping Halo on the back once before turning to the girl.

"Halo, Clytemnestra, thank you both for coming," Daddy said, though he didn't take his eyes off of Clytemnestra and he didn't sound very thankful, at least not to Lily. Daddy had always been a little odd around the girl, though for the life of her Lily didn't know why. She was simply wonderful, if a little quiet.

"Of course, we're happy to-" Halo began, but that was as far as he got.

"It's Cleo, actually," the girl said in a quiet voice that somehow seemed to cut right across Halo as she slowly lowered her overlarge sunglasses. Lily caught sight of burning blue eyes that seemed unable to focus on anything; eyes she had not seen for some time.

Just like that, everyone's mood changed.

Mum seemed to tighten her grip on Halo's shoulder, but aside from that remained rather calm. James, who had been leaning against the wall, stood up straight, looking alert, while poor Hugo just clutched his new wand tightly and looked confused. The three of them seemed much calmer than the others though, and Lily knew it was because none of the three had ever really seen Cleo in action, they had only heard about her from others. Daddy took a step towards Mum, placing himself between her and the girl. Auntie Hermione looked shocked, while beside her Rosie narrowed her eyes and drew her wand. Albus ran over to stand beside Lily, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. Lily was grateful, if a little surprised. James was always the one who had looked after her. It wasn't that Al wasn't a good big brother, really he was, despite all the little fights they had. It was just that, well, James had always been better at that sort of thing. Al had always been a little too timid; almost scared. He didn't looked scared now.

Lily, for her part, thought it was all a bit excessive. It wasn't that she didn't know the difference between Clytemnestra, the sweet if damaged girl who was her friend and Cleo, the dangerous, murderous other girl living in the same body who Lily had watch best three fully grown wizards two years before, it was just that she seriously doubted Cleo would come all the way here just to cause trouble. Cleo made her nervous, sure, but not enough to warrant all this.

"I should, uh, explain," Halo said nervously after an awkward pause where no one moved.

"That would be a good idea," Daddy said softly, not taking his eyes off of Cleo.

And so Halo went on about some arrangement that Cleo and Clytemnestra had made about sharing their body. Lily hadn't known about any of this, though most of the others had clearly heard either part or most of it, and to be honest she found it a little unfair that Cleo only got to be awake for 72 hours a month while Clytemnestra got it the rest of the time. No one else seemed to think so, though, so she kept those thoughts to herself. When Halo was done, Daddy sighed and rubbed his lightning shaped scar, muttering, "That fool girl, putting the time off like this. Well I guess it can't be helped." He turned to Cleo and said in a louder voice, "Well, what is it you want then?"

"Now now, Potter, is that any way to greet someone who's trying to help you?" Cleo responded.

Lily's family bristled at Cleo's rudeness, all except Daddy himself, who just ignored it.

"Help how?" he asked.

"The wands aren't choosing her, are they?" Cleo asked, glancing briefly over at Lily, her burning eyes never quite seeming to focus on her. Lily was shocked to see that Cleo's burning blue eyes looked almost sympathetic. But Cleo wasn't her friend, only Clytemnestra was. What was going on?

No one said anything in response. At length, Lily nodded. It hurt to admit it openly, but there was nothing for it. She couldn't pretend anymore. She could try all day, but no wand was going to choose her, no matter how early she brushed her teeth.

"How many did you try?" Halo asked her, sounding crushed.

"Enough," she replied miserably.

"Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry," Rosie breathed, starting towards her, but Lily shook her head sharply, and her cousin stopped. In fact every member of her family looked like they wanted to give her a hug, but she glowered at them all and none of them moved towards her. Well, none except Al, who was already standing beside her, his hand on her shoulder. Him she let stay. His warm hand felt comforting.

"It's… it's fine," Lily said, though it wasn't. "I guess I just wasn't meant to…"

She trailed off, unable to finish. Tears formed in her eyes, although she had no idea where they'd come from. She was a Potter, and Potters didn't cry about every little thing. Or maybe they did. Mum, Auntie and Rose were crying too, and both Daddy and James looked to be close to tears themselves. Only Hugo, who seemed too confused by the whole thing to be sad, and Albus looked calm. Al smiled reassuringly as she looked at him, but even he was gripping her shoulder stronger than he really needed to.

"You're wrong," Cleo said calmly, catching everyone's attention. "You are meant to be a witch. And to do that you will need a wand."

"But-" Lily felt very confused.

"I will help you," Cleo announced, nodding to herself as if it were decided. "Everyone out."

No one moved. Mostly they were just staring at Cleo as if she had gone mad. Her burning eyes swept over them, narrowing angrily.

"Did you not hear me?" she demanded, "Everyone except myself, Halo and Lily need to leave."

"What are you playing at?" Rosie demanded angrily, her wand still clenched in her hand. "We are not going to leave you alone with them!"

"You are, or Lily Potter will spend the rest of her life as a squib," Cleo said calmly. She was ignoring the others now, her eyes turned in the direction of Daddy, never really focusing on him.

"What are you going to do?" Daddy asked quietly.

"What I must. Don't worry, Potter, it's not dangerous."

"Why can't the rest of us stay, if it's not dangerous?" James demanded, glancing over at Lily protectively.

"Because I don't like any of you," Cleo said, shooting James an irritated look. "Now get out of here, all of you."

Daddy glanced at Auntie Hermione, who shrugged, before turning to share one last look with Mum, who hesitated briefly before nodding.

"Alright," was all Harry Potter said.

Daddy, Mum and Auntie Hermione rounded up a very reluctant James, Albus, Hugo and Rose, none of whom wanted to go anywhere. Then, after the children had been shepherded outside by Auntie her parents wrapped Lily in a tight hug, each kissing her on the cheek.

"You've been so brave, Lily-Bean" Mum said, tears forming again. For once she didn't mind the nickname. "No matter what, we are so very proud of you."

"We will be right outside," Daddy said, clearly watching Cleo out of the corner of his eye. "If anything happens, we'll be there straight away, don't you worry."

And then they were gone, leaving no one except Lily, Cleo, an awkward looking Halo, and Skeleton Woman, who Lily had totally forgotten about until then.

"You can go too, wandwoman," Cleo said indifferently, turning to face her.

"I beg your pardon," Skeleton Woman said indignantly, "This is my shop, and I will not-"

"Best to do what she says, Cordelia," came a new voice, barely louder than a whisper, "It is most unwise to argue with a Lestrange."

A stooped old man so old that Lily was amazed he could still walk at all hobbled out of the back of the little shop, leaning heavily on a cane.

"Father!" Skeleton Woman said indignantly, "really, you can't keep ordering me around and-"

"Enough, child," the old man said, his reedy whisper brokering no argument. "Go. Now."

His daughter was a picture of skeletal unhappiness, but she had no choice but to obey the way all children did when their parents used the voice that old Mr. Ollivander was using right there. She gave Cleo a nasty look before heading to the back of the shop, muttering unflattering things under her breath.

Cleo eyed the old man warily as he shuffled over to her. He had unsettling grey eyes that were almost silver, and he never ever seemed to blink.

"We have never met, young lady," he said softly, "but I recognize that wand in your hand. Beechwood and Dragon Heartstring, 10 inches, firm."

"You made that wand?" Halo asked, sounding surprised.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself ordered me to make it, years ago," Ollivander said quietly, "It was one of thirteen I made on his orders, when I was his prisoner. He tortured me for days until I agreed."

Lily gasped in horror, and Halo stared at the old man in wide-eyed disbelief. Cleo just nodded slowly. She knew something of torture herself, and the way it changed people.

"Very well, you may stay, old man," Cleo announced, as if the matter was decided.

The old man, apparently, needed no such permission, for he ignored Cleo entirely, focusing instead on Lily. Lily had found his eyes unsettling when they weren't focused on her and liked them even less when they were.

"My dear child," he breathed, silver eyes seeming to pierce her. "You have suffered much."

"I-" Lily said, unsure of what to say.

"Mr. Ollivander, isn't there anything you can do?" Halo asked.

"Harry Wiggins, 9 inches, sphinx teeth and sycomore, twisted, oh yes how I remember that wand," he muttered, as if to himself. He seemed to peer at Halo with those silver eyes, and frowned slightly. "My dear boy, what did you do to yourself? Why, you're almost as bad as Miss Potter. You children really ought to be more careful."

Halo seemed to have no idea what to say to this any more than Lily did and frowned. He shook his head the adorable way he did when he was confused, but before he could speak Cleo cut across him.

"Not that this isn't _fascinating_ ," she said, clearly upset at being ignored, "but we should get back to it before the others waiting outside lose their minds."

"What are you going to do?" Lily asked curiously. She forced herself not to take a step back as Cleo advanced towards her. She didn't want to be afraid of this girl, who was clearly trying to help, but, well, this girl had _killed_ people.

Cleo said nothing, just coming to a halt in front of Lily, whose mind started racing. What did this girl know that no one else did? Was there some complex spell only Cleo knew? Lily had seen her do some unbelievable things. Lily just hope that whatever she did, it wouldn't hurt.

To her utter amazement, though, Cleo did nothing but draw her wand and hold it out to her.

"Here."

"W-what?"

"It is yours, Lily Potter," Cleo said, burning eyes unfocused. "Take it."

"But this is your wa-"

"Shut up and take it," Cleo hissed, and so Lily did.

The moment she touched Cleo's wand, she felt a warm tingle in the tips of her fingers. It was faint, barely there at all, but Lily had felt nothing like it for nearly 2 years. She sank to her knees, gasping laughing and crying all at once.

"Ahh," old Mr. Ollivander said above her. "Go on then, Ms. Potter. Give it a wave."

Lily did so, and through her tears she saw a little shower of yellow sparks erupt out of the end of the wand. It wasn't much, only four or five little feeble sparks, but it was magic, real magic. _Her_ magic.

"Oh thank god," Halo murmured quietly, though Lily heard him and very much agreed.

"I-I don't understand," Lily said thickly, hiccupping as she spoke. She was starting to get all snotty, the way she always did when she cried.

"Magic is a curious thing," Ollivander said wistfully, "and wands are the most curious of all. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but you held that very wand in your hands before you suffered your injury."

"Yes, I did," Lily said, quickly brushing away her tears and hoping that Halo didn't notice all the snot. "In fact, I was holding it right up until it happened. Clytemnestra had asked me to keep it safe for her."

"I suspected as much," the old wandmaker said, nodding. "It recognizes you, and senses what the other wands do not. It knows you, and can feel the power inside you, even with how damaged your connection to your magic is."

"That's… that's amazing," Lily breathed, looking down at her wand as if she had never seen anything so wonderful in her whole life. Her very own wand. Well, except…

"But what about you?" Lily asked, turning to Cleo. "Don't you need this wand, you and Clytemnestra both, I mean?"

Cleo glowered at the mention of Clytemnestra, and she said, "She will manage. I, on the other hand, already have a wand to call my own." She stared defiantly out of the window in the direction of Daddy. Lily had no idea what that meant, but Halo, who knew very well how Cleo felt about the fact that Harry Potter was keeping the Elder Wand, whose allegiance she had rightfully won, from her shifted uncomfortably.

"So this is really mine?" Lily asked. She still couldn't believe it, and wanted to quadruple check just to make super sure.

"It is, if the girl renounces it," Mr. Ollivander said, peering over at Cleo.

"I do," Cleo said. She paused awkwardly before adding, with obvious reluctance, "We both do."

Halo gave her an odd look, but said nothing. Instead the old wandmaker spoke.

"Then it is yours, Ms. Potter. It is not the best way to transfer ownership, but it works well enough. Wands are often passed down from generation to generation. This is hardly different."

Maybe it was the way that Mr. Ollivander had mentioned the past, but Lily suddenly thought of all the history her new wand had. It's creator had been tortured making it, and it had belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange herself. Lily could still picture the twisted monster that woman had become at the end, in the days when she had tortured her own daughter. Voldemort, Bellatrix, and even Cleo herself… just how much pain and suffering had this wand done? She was almost tempted to hand it right back.

"A wand should not be judged for the actions of its wielder," Mr. Ollivander said quietly, as if reading her mind, "It is a tool, like any other. Is not a simple shovel dangerous, in the hands of a madman?"

"But the wand chooses the wizard, doesn't it?" Lily asked quietly, still looking at the wand in her hands. "Doesn't that mean it knows, at least a little, what it might be used for?"

"You are a clever one, aren't you?" Old Mr. Ollivander said, peering down at her. "Perhaps you are right. The mind of a wand, if you can call it that, is unknowable, even to those of us learned in such things. Perhaps wands, like the wizards who use them, make mistakes from time to time. But of one thing there can be no doubt, Ms. Potter. That wand in your hand chose _you_. It picked you knowing full well that you are not yet healed, and may never be. It took a chance on you; it believes in you. And that, if I may say so, is rather encouraging don't you think?"

Lily gazed down at the wand in her hand for another moment or two, and then made up her mind. Smiling, she looked up at all of them. "You're right. Thank you, Mr. Ollivander, thank you Halo, and thank you so very much Cleo."

"It was my pleasure, young Ms. Potter," Ollivander whispered.

"Well, now we're even," Cleo said uncomfortably, "You saved my life, after all."

"I didn't even do anything," Halo muttered. Lily laughed and rose to her feet, throwing her arms around him. It wasn't because she really, _really_ wanted an excuse to hug him, no it wasn't that at all. It was just that she didn't think either Cleo or Mr. Ollivander were the hugging type.

"Come on then, Halo darling, it's time to go," Cleo said, sounding annoyed when Lily had let go of Halo. She grabbed hold of his hand, which seemed to surprise him nearly as much as it surprised Lily. They… they weren't _together_ , were they? Not that she cared of course, not one bit.

"You're right, Cleo," Halo said, carefully pulling his hand out of hers. "Mr. Ollivander, thank you again for everything." The old man nodded, and Halo turned to Lily, smiling. "Come on then Lily, let's go tell your family the good news."

He turned to open the door, but Lily beat him to it. Grinning like an idiot, Lily raced out of the wand shop, holding the one wand that had chosen her tightly in her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Invitation to a Party

Halo hung back a little, feeling slightly out of place as Lily's family gathered around her, hugging her and crying in delight as she showed off her new wand. Cleo hung back as well, looking even more out of place than Halo did. They stood there, forgotten, until at last Rose pulled away from the group hug of her extended family and came over to them. She grinned broadly at Halo, punching him hard on the shoulder.

"Ouch."

"I knew you could do it, Halo, I just knew it," Rose said happily, utterly unconcerned that he was rubbing his arm. She had gotten in the habit of hitting him more and more recently, and he suspected that she'd gotten the idea from watching his sister Cassy and his friends Atalanta and Sam, all of whom liked to hit him as well. It was an odd thing to have picked up from them, considering Rose did not much like Atalanta and positively hated Sam, but then girls did the strangest things sometimes.

"I didn't do anything," Halo muttered, shaking his head. It felt wrong, somehow, for everyone to keep thanking him. "I just stood around. Cleo's the one who gave up her wand."

Rose's eyes flicked to Cleo, and her smile faded slightly. She looked back at Halo though, and it came back in full force. "Yeah, well, Cleo wouldn't even be there if it wasn't for you, would she? She would never think to do something like this on her own. So really it is all thanks to you."

Halo didn't think that logic was even remotely sound, but he didn't try and argue with her. Rose could be quite stubborn when she wanted to be. Despite a rocky start, she now got on quite well with Clytemnestra. Cleo, though, she disliked and mistrusted quite a bit.

Cleo did not look pleased at the conversation and scowled at Rose, who didn't seem concerned in the least. In fact, Halo was alarmed to see her hand drifting casually down towards her wand, as if eager for a fight. Halo was glad that Cleo did not have a wand of her own at the moment, because Rose probably wouldn't have back down. Why Rose would be eager to duel with a witch whom she knew had actually _killed_ people Halo could not begin to fathom, but then Rose had always been a little foolhardy. Halo was sure she must get it from her father.

"Halo, Halo!" Lily called happily, bounding over to him. Her family seemed to have released her at last, and as Halo turned to her she grabbed his hands excitedly. "They're throwing a party at Grandma and Grandpa Weasleys' place to celebrate me and Hugo getting our wands. Daddy and Mum said you can come, if you'd like. They'll send an owl to your mother and tell her not to worry and all that. You will come, won't you?"

"I-" Halo said, unsure of what to say. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, of course. A party sounded wonderful, and although Halo had never met Grandpa and Grandma Weasley, he had heard a great deal about them. It was just… well, his eyes flicked to Cleo, whose expression had gone stony. There was no chance that she would be invited to come along as well. Even Clytemnestra likely would not have been welcome, as she was distrusted or feared by most of the wizarding community because of her mother's terrifying reputation. Halo, Albus, Rose and Lily, who all got on well with Clytemnestra _might_ have been able to persuade the adults to let her come, but Clytemnestra was asleep in her own body. There was no chance Cleo would ever be welcome.

"It's fine, Halo darling, I've had about enough of this anyways," Cleo said, her expression unreadable.

"Are you sure?" Halo asked uncertainly, ignoring, like always, the whole _darling_ nonsense. He was speaking partially out of concern, but mostly he was worried about leaving her to wander around alone. She hadn't gotten in too much trouble on her own as far as he could tell. Well, aside from spending all of Clytemnestra's savings and cutting off most of her hair, but those really weren't so bad. At least no one had been hurt or threatened. Cleo was unstable and dangerous, and he would feel much better if he could keep an eye on her until she was safely back asleep and his best friend was again in control of her own body.

"Go on then," Cleo said irritably, and Halo was sure she knew what he had been thinking and didn't much like it. "I'm not interested in being babysat. I have big plans for tonight and-"

"No, you don't," Harry Potter said flatly, interrupting her. Halo looked over and saw that Lily's whole family was now watching them quietly, listening to the whole conversation. "You are going home right away. Your Aunt Andromeda should never have let you leave the house in the first place."

Cleo looked mutinous, but after glaring at Harry Potter for a few seconds she seemed to remember that she no longer had a wand and therefore couldn't do anything, even if she had wanted to pick a fight with the most skilled Auror in Britain, if not the entire world. Smiling a smile that Halo was completely sure was fake, she gave a tiny little half-nod.

"Well I'll be off then, have to hurry on home, you know," Cleo said sweetly, turning to leave. Halo did not believe for one second that _going home_ was what she had in mind, and he did not seem to be the only one.

"I'll be going with you," Harry said in a firm voice, striding over to her before she could get away. "Just to make sure you don't get _distracted_ on your way home."

"That's not necess-" Cleo started to say, but got no further.

"I will decide what is necessary and what is not," Harry Potter said with the full authority of a man who had spent his entire life fighting dark wizards.

"But, er, the party-" Cleo said, making one last feeble attempt to get away.

"My family is quite used to starting without me," Harry said calmly, grabbing hold of Cleo's arm before she could wriggle away. "I'll be along when I can, darling, I just want to have a little chat with Mrs. Tonks after I drop the girl off," he said over his shoulder to Ginny, who smiled slightly and nodded her understanding. Halo figured that she was used to this sort of thing, being married to Harry Potter.

Cleo wasted no more time protesting as she was led away. Instead, she just turned one last time to Halo and spat, "This is why I don't help people. It's never worth it, is it?"

Halo had no idea what to say in response, and so said nothing. He just watched Harry Potter lead her away with a slight sense of foreboding. He hadn't said it aloud, but he had been a little bit proud of what she had chosen to do for Lily. This was the first time that he had ever known Cleo to do something for someone else. Usually, she was angry and suspicious with an almost child-like selfishness. He really hoped that this day might be a turning point, and that Cleo would start acting a bit more like Clytemnestra, who was one of the most selfless people he had ever met despite how the world mistrusted and mistreated her. That didn't seem remotely likely to happen now. Halo didn't blame Harry Potter at all, and he knew making sure that Cleo got up to no more mischief was for the best, but he just hoped this hadn't made things worse.

Halo was preoccupied with worry the whole walk back through Diagon Alley and barely listened as the Potter and Weasley family chattered away around him happily. Rose kept punching him in the arm or flipping the ends of his shaggy blond hair, giggling excitedly. On his other side, Albus launched into a long discussion of the English National Quidditch Team and how disappointing they were. Halo barely had to listen to a word of this, he just had to nod and say _yeah_ in all the right places. He heard much the same tirade at least once a week from his sister Cassy, who was an even larger quidditch fanatic than Albus was and positively loved complaining about the sorry state of English quidditch. Hermione Weasley and Ginny Potter walked a little ways away, close to Lily, who kept waving her wand around excitedly, as if trying to do more magic. Ginny kept scolding her daughter for this and Hermione looked preoccupied with worry as well, but both glanced over at him every so often and smiled kindly, as if he was a favoured nephew. This was quite gratifying, since both had more than enough nieces and nephews to keep them busy. Everyone seemed delighted to have him with them, well, everyone except for James, who walked a little ways ahead with Hugo, listening patiently as his young cousin jabbered on and on about… something and acting as if Halo didn't exist. But Halo was hardly surprised. James had disliked him ever since Halo had been sorted into Slytherin, and it had only gotten worse after Lily had been hurt preventing the plot to set the sky on fire. James blamed him for Lily's injury, something that both Rose and Albus maintained was completely unfair, as they were just as guilty as he was for letting Lily risk herself that night. Halo, though, did feel quite guilty for what had happened to Lily, and let James go on blaming him. He knew the boy was fiercely loyal to his family, and would do just about anything to protect them. If he needed an outsider to blame for what had happened, then Halo could deal with it. He was, though, a _little_ surprised that James's unfriendliness had lasted all this time. He had thought that the boy would get over it by now, but then Potters were a stubborn lot.

Halo was so caught up in his thoughts that they arrived back at the Leakey Cauldron before he knew it. It was mostly deserted, but the friendly barkeeper Seamus whom Halo had met earlier that day greeted them warmly. He was delighted to hear that Hugo and Lily had both gotten wands, and insisted that all the children have butterbeers on the house before heading out. While Ginny Potter and the children all gathered round to chat excitedly with Seamus, Lily still waving her wand around enthusiastically, Hermione Weasley pulled Halo aside so she could talk with him quietly.

"What exactly happened in there, Halo?" she asked in a low tone, the burning curiosity evident in her voice. "Why did the Lestrange girl's wand react for Lily when none of the other wands would?"

Halo was a little surprised, having thought that Lily would have already explained what happened in detail, but he told Hermione everything that old Mr. Ollivander had said in the shop. Lily, he thought to himself as he spoke, really wasn't the best at explaining things, so maybe it wasn't a great surprise that Halo'd had to explain it again after all. When he was done, Hermione frowned down at him, looking puzzled.

"Well, if it was anyone else I would be very sceptical," Hermione said, and despite her words she still sounded rather doubtful about the whole thing. "That bit about one wand being able to sense her power while the others can't, almost as if it were alive, well, Halo I just don't know. But Ollivander knows his stuff, there's no doubt about it. And… and at least Lily has a wand, even if it did do…" she trailed off, frowning. Halo said nothing, he just shifted his weight uncomfortably. He was fiercely loyal and protective of Clytemnestra, but there was no denying that the wand that she and Cleo shared had been used to do terrible things. What would he think, if he knew that his own wand had been used to kill? Would he still want to use it?

"Well, it doesn't matter," Hermione said, sounding to Halo as if she was mostly speaking to convince herself of that. "My niece has a wand of her own, and that means she'll be able to go to Hogwarts after all. I just hope her magic is alright after all that she…" Hermione trailed off again, frowning even harder.

"Well," She continued briskly, as if she did not want to think about what had been troubling her any more, "I'll have to send an owl to Headmistress Sprout immediately, right after I send one to your mother about the party of course. She ought to know that Lily is going to Hogwarts after all. Oh, and then I have to send an owl to Charlie, he's working with dragons in Tibet now. He was so worried about her; well, we all were. Oh and of course I'll send one to…" Halo stopped listening at this point as Hermione kept right on talking, listing the names of people he had never heard of who simply must be told this instant. He noticed how she kept rubbing her hands absentmindedly and saw that her palms were red, as if she had been clenching her hands very hard indeed. He clearly was not the only one who had been very nervous. Muttering something about going to join Rose and Albus, Halo walked away, leaving Hermione behind, still jabbering away about sending owls. He doubted she had really heard him.

"Mum's a bit frantic, isn't she?" Rose said conversationally as he joined her. "She's always like that, when she gets nervous or feels relieved."

"Yeah, well, we're all a little relieved, aren't we?" Albus added in a low undertone, turning away from Hugo, who was waving his butterbeer around dangerously and telling them all loudly about how he was going to master every spell by the end of his first month at Hogwarts. "I've been sick with worry all week. We all have."

"It's fine, it's over now," Rose said, grinning widely as she handed Halo a butterbeer, which he held without drinking. "All that stuff those Red Tide wizards did is finally behind us."

Halo, who still struggled every day to get his magic to work properly and knew all too well that some wounds did not heal that easily, said nothing. Neither Rose nor Albus seemed to notice his silence though, and continued sipping their own butterbeers and talking back and forth.

"I can't believe it," Rose said excitedly, "Lily and my idiot brother finally headed off to Hogwarts! That's all the cousins now, except little Roxanne, who's the youngest. Poor little thing's got one more year."

Halo, who had been frowning at the ground, looked up in surprise. "You have _another_ cousin? How many is that, thirty?"

"Oh ha-ha," Rose said sarcastically.

"Er, well, if you count our second cousins it might come close…" Albus said, scratching the back of his head.

"There's twelve of us, in total," Rose continued, as if her cousin hadn't spoken. "Me, this git, James, my idiot brother and Lily obviously, who are all here. Then there's Victoire, Dominique, Louis, Fred and Lucy, who of course you know from school."

"Er," Halo said, trying to remember. He was usually quite good with names and faces, but there were just so many Weasleys. Victoire he remembered, for she had been Head Girl in his first year and had helped them out while they had been investigating the Red Tide Wizards, but he barely knew the others. He had never spoken to Dominique Weasley, a pretty and popular Gryffindor witch who was about to enter her seventh year, and had spoken to her brother Louis only a handful of times. Fred and Lucy he did not seem to be able to picture clearly in his mind, although he supposed he might recognize them on sight. He was in Slytherin, while nearly all the Weasley cousins seemed to be in Gryffindor, and he rarely saw the students from the other houses unless they were in his year or were friends with his sister Cassy.

"The last two," Rose continued, once again taking no notice of any interruption, "Are Roxanne, who is too young to go to Hogwarts and… and Molly." There was a distinct pause before she said that last name, and Albus shifted uncomfortably.

"Molly? Who's Molly?" Halo asked, looking back and forth between his two friends and frowning. He was quite sure that they had never mentioned a cousin named Molly before. Both looked like they did not at all want to answer. Just before the silence stretched to the point where one of them would have to break it, Ginny Potter spoke up and said, "Alright you lot, it's time to go. You don't want to be late to your own party, do you?"

"But Mum!" wailed Lily, "I'm not done with my butterbeer." She, evidently, had been busy trying to get her new wand to do something else and had quite forgotten to drink.

"Well, it's not my fault you keep playing with that wand of yours. I know you're excited, but you don't know any spells yet, dear. Now hurry and drink up, Lily-Bean, it's time to go."

Lily cast an embarrassed glance over at Halo, who didn't meet her eye and pretended to be deaf. He knew a thing or two about embarrassing nicknames, and rather sympathized with her. Lily did not buy his deafness for an instant, though, and, sputtering with outrage, tried to chug her butterbeer but mostly just succeeded in making a mess.

"Right," Rose said after she had noisily chugged her own butterbeer. "Let's go then. Wait till you see the Burrow, Halo. You're gonna love it!" With that, she marched off excitedly for the fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and was the first one to leave in a flash of emerald flames.

Halo set down his own untouched butterbeer, thanked Seamus the barkeeper for everything, and followed Albus over to the fireplace. James, Hugo and Hermione went through next, leaving just Ginny Potter with her two youngest children and Halo. Lily was playing with her wand again, just out of her mother's field of vision.

"Off you go, Halo," Ginny Potter said kindly. "When you get into the flames just say _the Burrow_ , nice and clear."

"R-right," Halo said, looking at the fireplace apprehensively.

"Halo doesn't like travelling by Floo Powder," Albus supplied. "It makes him feel-"

"Alright, well, I'm off!" Halo announced loudly, cutting Albus off before he could say that Floo powder nearly always made Halo sick. Halo cast Lily a nervous little half glance, but she did not seem to be listening, she was concentrating hard on her new wand. He wasn't quite sure why he didn't want Lily to know that Floo Powder made him sick, he just knew he didn't want to be embarrassed in front of her. He grabbed a small pinch of powder that Ginny held out to him, and was annoyed to see that she was smirking at him, a twinkle in her eye. She reminded him forcibly of Rose, who had perfected that very same look, as if she knew everything that he was trying to hide. Scowling, Halo tossed the powder into the fire and stepped in.

The flames felt only mildly warm around his legs. Just as he opened his mouth to say his destination, however, Lily, who had been concentrating hard on her wand, gave out a shuddering gasp. Bright yellow sparks burst out of the end of her wand, nearly twice as many as had back in Ollivander's wand shop. She blinked once in surprise, and then her eyes rolled up in the back of her head and she collapsed to the floor.

"Lily!" cried Halo, as her mother and brother called her name as well, rushing to her side. He moved to take a step towards her, but before he could do so he felt a powerful tugging sensation in his chest and the scene before him tore away suddenly. Belatedly, Halo remembered that, with the Floo Powder already in the flames, the fire had been waiting for him to announce his destination. Where he was headed now Halo had no idea, but he was quite sure it was not the Burrow.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Whispers in the Dark

Halo was spinning like a top, hurtling through an odd pocket of space. Fireplaces blazed around him as he spun, each one whipping in and out of focus too quickly for him to make out the rooms beyond. To combat the nausea and terror rising in him, Halo shut his eyes, keeping them closed as he hurtled along. Where was he going? Cassy had told him once that if you didn't speak your destination clearly enough you might end up going and extra stop or two and come out the wrong fireplace, but he had never taken his sister all that seriously before. And it wasn't as if he had accidentally stammered the name of his destination. He had very clearly shouted Lily's name, but where would that take him? Surely there wasn't some fireplace named Lily, was there?

Quite abruptly, the spinning stopped and Halo felt himself slow to a halt. Cautiously he opened his eyes and saw to his dismay that he was hanging suspended in what seemed to be an endless sea of black nothingness. Above him he could see the glow of fireplaces, but he was too far away to see out of them clearly. Maybe it was his imagination, but it seemed to Halo as though there was a pathway of sorts in the void above him and that he, somehow, had fallen off of it.

 _Hello?_ He called aloud, or rather tried to. He didn't think any sound had really escaped his lips; his voice seemed to be simply echoing in his head. He waited for several seconds, but there was no response. He swung his arms and kicked off with his legs, trying to move himself towards the light of the fireplaces. Try as he might, though, he could not seem to move himself any closer to the lights above. 

Panic steadily rising, Halo began to shake. His mind whirled with thoughts, each more terrible than the last. How was anyone going to find him here; he didn't even have any idea where _here_ was? What if he was trapped in this place? How long would he be able to survive in the nothingness like this? He had to get out of here… he had to.

 _Help me!_ Halo cried out desperately, but just as before no sound seemed to come out. Feeling frantic, he tried to fling himself forward with all his might, but all he managed to do was flip himself over, so that he was now facing away from the fireplaces instead of towards them.

He was on the verge of bursting into tears at the hopelessness of the bizarre situation he had found himself in when he heard something, so faint that he would not possibly have been able to hear it had there been even the faintest sound of any kind around. It was a whisper, so feeble that he could barely hear it even in the utter silence of the world around him. Even so, he couldn't make out what the whisper said, or where it was coming from.

 _Hello? Who's there? Can you hear me?_ Halo tried to call desperately, hoping against hope that there was really someone out there. Once again no sound came from him, but the whispering returned, this time strong enough, just barely, for him to hear it.

 _Halo,_ came the whisper, faint and strangled, as if the whisperer were having difficulty speaking. _Halo_.

Halo froze, feeling his insides go cold. That voice… but it couldn't be.

 _Help me Halo, please,_ the whisper came again, clearer than before. And this time, there was no mistaking the pain quivering in every word. _Before it is too late. You must find me, you must save_ …

Then, as suddenly as the whispering had come, it faded away and there was silence once more.

Halo felt as if he had been struck dumb. Even if he hadn't been stuck in this void, he was sure he would not have been able to move a muscle. He recognized the voice, although he had only met the person it belonged to once before. Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew that the whispers came from Narasima, the Great Sphinx whose tooth resided in the core of his wand. But how could it be her? Narasima had to be thousands of miles away. This made no sense. Magic could do some truly amazing things, to be sure, but Halo had never heard of anything like whispering to people from thousands of miles away. She couldn't be here, surely, wherever _here_ was. Was it just his imagination playing tricks on him?

Halo thought about it for several seconds, having nothing else to do as he floated there. No, he decided, there wasn't much chance that he had just imagined it. It was just too specific. And anyways, while he had never heard of anything even remotely like this happening to anyone, he knew from personal experience that the magical world was far stranger than he would have believed and contained far more secrets than he could have imagined. Who was he, a boy born without the Trace who had a damaged connection to his magic and an affinity with the Sphinx whose tooth was the core of his wand to say what was and wasn't possible? And if that really _was_ Narasima's voice whispering to him from wherever she was, then that meant that she was in pain and in serious trouble. He had to help her.

 _Narasima!_ He called out, hoping desperately that it wasn't too late. She had called to him, and he had hesitated. Why had he hesitated? The whispering was gone now. Would she be able to hear him, the way he had heard her? And how on earth was he supposed to find her? _Narasima where are you?_

There was no answer; no whispers floating through the darkness. He shouted her name silently again and again, but nothing broke the still silence. _How do I find you?_ Halo cried desperately, not knowing what else to do. If only he hadn't hesitated, he might have been able to reach her. Halo hung his head in despair, but even as he did so, he felt, for the first time in a year and a half, his wand begin to vibrate feebly in his pocket, quite on its own. Halo's mouth fell open in shock, and he stopped his silent shouting, pulling his wand out of his pocket. It stopped vibrating quite abruptly, and did absolutely nothing as he stared at it. Typical. He was about to shove it back into his pocket in disgust when a thought struck him. Words that Madame Fleur had told him nearly two years before—words that he had thought about so many times since that they were firmly committed to memory—came back to him. _Your wand has been guiding you to answers and teaching you, just as a sphinx would have. They are guardians of knowledge and secrets, so it is only natural that when your wand chose to act, it would be to reveal knowledge to you._

Reveal knowledge. Slowly, Halo began to piece it together. He had been asking a question; asking how to find Narasima, and just then his wand had begun to vibrate. If there was one thing Halo had learned in his life as a wizard, it was that something like that was most certainly not a coincidence.

 _How do I save Narasima?_ Halo thought firmly, pushing all other thoughts from his mind. Nothing happened for a full second, and then the wand in his hand gave a wobbly tug, as if struggling to move itself, and Halo at last felt himself begin to move upwards, towards the fireplaces above. The wand gave another tug, feebler than the first, and he rose a bit faster. His wand then pulsed once, very feebly indeed, and fell still.

Halo frowned at the wand in his hand, wondering if it had worked. He was rising, to be sure, but it seemed to him as if his wand hadn't been strong enough to finish what it had been trying to do. Was it guiding him somewhere, or had it spent all it's energy just getting him moving again?

As he rose higher, Halo felt his speed start to increase. The pathway of fireplaces above him seemed to be attracting him like a magnet. Quite soon he had been pulled back onto the interconnected pathway of the Floo Network and he began to spin, hurtling wildly past fireplaces once more. He had no idea where he was going, but he was sure that anywhere would be better than being stuck in that black nothingness.

Halo emerged from a fireplace so suddenly that he was not able to open his eyes in time and promptly fell over, banging his head painfully on the ground.

"Oww," he muttered aloud, rubbing his head and slowly sitting up. He opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a very large, very dusty room. A grand, rectangular table sat in the middle of it, and an enormous chandelier, nearly as ornate as the one that stood in the entrance hall of Hogwarts, hung from the ceiling. But the table's once white tablecloth was covered in dust, and the chandelier was dark. Light streamed in from outside through slits and cracks in the boarded-up windows, filling the room with long shadows. A door stood on the far side of the room, opposite the fireplace, but Halo didn't see any light coming in from the hall beyond. All was quiet, and there was no one in sight. More than likely, the whole building was every bit as abandoned as this room was. Gulping, Halo got to his feet. He couldn't see why his wand would have possibly taken him here on purpose. It had probably just done the best it could to send him back up to the pathway of fireplaces and he had been sucked into a random one. He was glad to have gotten out of that terrible darkness, but all the same; the sooner he got out of this creepy place, the better.

Turning back towards the fireplace, he searched around for a box of Floo powder. Halo figured that, even if the place was deserted there might be some lying around since the fireplace was clearly still a part of the Floo Network. Nothing. Sighing, he told himself that he should have known. It didn't seem like anyone had used this room in years, and Floo powder was not really the sort of thing people usually left around in abandoned homes. Having no other idea, Halo cast a nervous look at the door again. He really didn't want to go wandering through this place, but it didn't seem like he had much of a choice. Hopefully he would be able to find the front door quickly and get back outside. From there, well, Halo wasn't sure what he was going to do from there. After all, there was no telling where he even was. Still, he knew that feeling warm sunshine would be a definite improvement over the dust and the darkness.

Halo tiptoed across the room, and when he reached the door he slowly turned the handle. After all, just because the place _seemed_ abandoned didn't mean it was, and he did not want to risk running into someone who would ask him what on earth he was doing there. If there was someone in the place for whatever reason, he would much rather slip past them as quietly as he could so that they would never know he was there. The door gave only a tiny creak as he nudged it open, and without making a sound he slipped through it.

Halo emerged onto a long hallway leading in both directions that was nearly as dusty as the room. A half a dozen or so doors stood on either side of the hall, which turned around the corner and out of sight in both directions, meaning that there were bound to be even more rooms that Halo couldn't see. _Just how big is this place,_ he wondered to himself in amazement. There was no immediate indication of which way led out, and after a brief pause he headed left along the hallway. He had no particular reason for choosing that way, except that the hallway was shorter on that side, and he would see what was beyond the corner sooner going that way.

Halo did indeed see even more doors along the dark hallways as he turned the corner, but he barely noticed them. His eyes were immediately drawn to a large set of double doors, different from the others, that stood open right in the middle of the hallway. Light was streaming in through the opening, and Halo was sure that the way out had to be through those doors. Moving as quickly as he dared while still trying to be quiet, he made approached the doors, pausing just outside and hazarding a quick peak through them. They led out onto a large balcony of sorts which was set above another, even larger room, maybe an entrance hall. Halo couldn't tell for sure, as he couldn't see the lower room at all from where he was standing, but he thought he saw the top of a staircase leading down. Whatever the case may be, the chandeliers in that room were lit. Nervously, he strained his ears for any sound of people in the hallway beyond. He heard nothing. It was so quiet, in fact, that the silence seemed to almost be buzzing in his ears. Everything was _too_ quiet, he had to get out of this place. It reminded him of the way, as a child, that his eyes had played tricks on him in the dark. It had seemed sometimes like the shadows were moving around his room, even though Halo knew he was imagining it. He had used to be so afraid of the dark, and no one except Cassy had ever been able to calm him down. But he was no longer a scared child, not after what he had faced in his first year at Hogwarts. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he stepped forward into the room.

He had made it three steps in when he realized he had made a terrible mistake. This building, plainly, was not abandoned after all. Several voices were drifting up from the lower room, apparently deep in conversation. There was no way he could have not heard them from where he had been standing, unless… unless he had just walked through a silencing spell of some kind. Panicking, Halo caught a glimpse of an ornately decorated room below. There was yet another large rectangular table in the centre with a dozen or so witches and wizards in white robes seated behind it, all facing a door on the far end of the room. Dropping down as quietly as he could, Halo flattened himself on the balcony floor. Had he been quick enough to escape notice? Hardly daring to breathe, Halo strained to listen to the conversation below, which he could only barely make out over the pounding of his heart.

"-facing reluctance from the Ministry to let our order operate freely," a firm, elderly female voice with the barest hint of an accent was saying. "There seems to be a certain amount of hostility towards our cause."

"Private witches and wizards have been resistant as well," replied a reedy man's voice, his accent was much stronger than the first woman's. "They know nothing about us. Our order has not been active in this country for decades, and they mistrust our intentions."

There was a pronounced silence after these words, during which Halo's heart continued hammering in his chest. There was indeed a staircase leading down only a few feet away, but there was no way that he could get out past this group without being seen. What was he going to do? Should he just go down to them and explain himself, hoping that they would be sympathetic? Halo wavered for a moment before deciding against it. He couldn't trust these people, whoever they were. Any group that cast silencing charms to make sure they weren't overheard was unlikely to welcome uninvited guests. But what good would it do to go back and wander around the hallway behind him? Unable to think of anything better, Halo decided to stay where he was and listen. Maybe he would learn something about the wizards below him that would make his mind up, one way or the other.

"Well, this is hardly unexpected," said the musical voice of a young woman whose words bore no trace of an accent. "Continue your efforts as best you can. We do not need the whole Ministry to be sympathetic to our cause, only a small handful. Remember how it was in Spain, and in Switzerland?"

"Stubborn Swiss," muttered the elderly female voice angrily, "it took _years_ for them to allow us to operate freely."

"And yet, in the end they gave in," The musical young woman replied calmly, "and now they are amongst our strongest backers. You have all heard, I am sure, that the new Swiss Minister of Magic himself is a member of our order."

Judging from the excited murmurings from the others, it seemed as though they had not all heard. The young witch, though, continued as if there had been no interruption. "It will be the same here in Britain. We will accomplish our goals in time, as we always do, sister."

"As you say, sister," the older woman replied deferentially. Halo frowned, puzzled. There was no way those two voices could belong to a pair of actual sisters, they had to be 40 years apart… at the very least. He figured that this group must refer to all their members as _brother_ and _sister_ , and that made Halo feel uneasy. It made them sound like a cult. Halo glanced back at the door he had come from. Should he just go back to the hall? Again, what good would that do? He had to get out of this place, but he didn't see how he could.

"We have more to do," a man with a deep voice said in broken English and an accent so strong that Halo could barely understand him. "The next group is outside. There are good ones this time, I am thinking, you will be happy."

There was excited murmuring at this. "Very good, send them in," the elderly woman who had first spoken commanded.

Halo heard the sound of a door opening, followed by the sound of footsteps as several new people walked in. After a brief hesitation, Halo cautiously lifted his head just enough to get a quick look. Five new people had entered, four wizards and a witch, wearing normal, everyday robes instead of the white robes those seated at the table wore. The door through which they had entered was magically closing itself behind them, but Halo caught a glimpse of an entrance hall beyond and the front doors, which stood slightly ajar. If only he could reach them! Ducking his head back down before he was seen, Halo shook his head to clear it and tried to think of what to do. Below him, the elderly woman addressed the newcomers.

"Greetings, initiates. You are standing in the presence of Sekhmet, High Priestess of the Order of the Eye of Ra," the elderly woman said in a clear, formal voice. Halo stirred at the name, remembering the strange young man named Xander that he and Cleo had met in Diagon Alley and how he had unnerved her, but before he could think of what it might mean the woman continued, saying, "You are here because you have shown promise in your time studying with us, and have expressed interest in learning more about our order. Your dedication is admirable, we are prepared to give you a chance to prove that you are worthy to take the first steps-"

"Prove ourselves?" interrupted a woman's voice, and Halo was sure it must belong to the female newcomer. Her voice sounded vaguely familiar to Halo, but he could not place it. Did he know her, somehow? He certainly hadn't recognized her when she had walked in, although he had not been looking at her closely. "Another test, are you kidding? I've been coming to your meetings for three months now, and I've mastered everything you've shown me. Not that it was hard, to be honest, all I've learned are a few breathing exercises and a handful of charms I could have looked up in the library. I thought you were supposed to change the way I saw magic, and all that. Wasn't that what you promised?"

There was stunned silence from the table, and Halo sucked in a breath. He might not know this woman, who really _did_ sound familiar, but he did not think this was a group that would appreciate being talked to like that by _anyone_.

"You _DARE_ -" thundered a deep voice, but he was not the only one who spoke.

"Outrageous," spluttered the reedy man who had spoken earlier.

"Get her out of here!" cried a witch whom Halo had not heard speak before. Many other voices joined in as well, some speaking languages Halo didn't understand. The only two voices that Halo didn't hear were the voices of the two women who had called each other _sister_ , the elderly witch and the young woman with the pretty voice.

"What is your name, young woman?" The elderly witch asked when at last the angry muttering had died away.

"T-Tiffany Hatcher," the witch responded hesitantly. She seemed to be rather regretting her ill-advised outburst. Halo rather doubted it would make much difference now, and waited for them to throw this Tiffany Hatcher out of the hall.

"While your passion is undeniable, miss Hatcher, I am afraid that you are not the kind of initiate our Order is looking for," The elderly woman said, much more calmly than Halo would have expected. "Our Order has a very good reason for these… tests, as you call them. We have many enemies, and we cannot simply allow anyone to gain access to our inner workings. I am afraid that-"

"Please, High Priestess, don't send me away," Tiffany Hatcher implored, "I-I spoke without thinking. I was just a little frustrated at all the tests, that's all. I want to learn!"

"And that is admirable, but we simply cannot use you," The elderly woman said, growing stern. "If you will not leave willingly, I will assign a member to escort you out. Good day, Miss Hatcher."

Halo couldn't help himself, he raised his head again to watch the scene below him. Tiffany Hacher, who was a tall, athletic witch with her black hair pulled up in a ponytail, was still pleading her case. At a gesture from an elderly woman with tan skin and short grey hair that fell to her shoulders, two wizards in white robes rose from behind the table and advanced towards Tiffany, who glowered at them. She looked much tougher than her voice suggested, and for whatever reason the sight of her glowering was shockingly familiar to Halo. Where had he seen this woman before?

"No," came the musical voice of the young woman, who was seated at the furthest left chair along the table. A white hood etched with gold runes was covering her head, and he could not see her face. "This one has something. She can stay. The four with her, though, are unremarkable. They are free to go."

The four wizards beside Tiffany, who had remained quiet since entering the room either out of nervousness or respect, stirred at this. They all began to make protests of their own, but the young woman waved her wand lazily, and all four… vanished. Halo felt his mouth drop open in shock, and he quickly ducked back down before he could be seen. How on earth had she been able to do that? Apparating oneself was a tricky bit of magic, but teleporting someone else, much less _four_ other people like that, was an unbelievably complex display of witchcraft.

Halo, clearly, was not the only one surprised. "How… how did you just do that?" Tiffany asked in a strangled whisper.

"Yes, these two ought to do nicely," the young woman said happily, and her voice sounded even sweeter in her excitement.

"Two?" the elderly woman asked, sounding slightly disgruntled. "There is no one here but this impudent girl, sister. You sent all the other qualified candidates away."

The others sounded confused as well, but not Halo. His mind quickly put together that, with the others sent away, the only _two_ that the young woman could possibly be referring to were Tiffany and himself. Somehow, inexplicably, she knew that he was there, listening to every word. That was the only possibility that made sense. Dread filling him, Halo began to scramble on his hands and knees away from the balcony, back towards the dark, abandoned hallway he had come from.

Before he had moved more than a few feet though, a figure in white robes materialized quite silently out of thin air, standing between him and the door back to the hall. Slender hands threw back a white hood etched with gold runes, and Halo looked up into the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

S  
he had tan skin, long black hair gathered in an elaborate braid threaded with golden clasps that fell in front of her right shoulder, and delicate features, all of which seemed to suit her perfectly. She had a small, perfectly shaped nose, full lips and large round eyes. It was the eyes that held Halo's attention. Not only were they a startlingly bright shade of amber, but the young woman also had a distinctive tattoo. It looked like a stylized eye, with her own real eye in the centre, and it reminded Halo strongly of a documentary of ancient Egypt that he had watched with his father a few weeks before.

The young woman smiled at him, and her eyes shone for a moment, twinkling as if, just for that moment, they were lit by an inner fire. "Good afternoon," she said pleasantly, looking down at him with the barest hint of amusement on her face. "And what brings you here, my young friend?"


End file.
